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  1. S

    Air stone in planted aquarium?

    Air stones have no adverse effects on plants.
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    Change of filter media to all foam has affected nitrates unexpectedly !!!

    In most aquarium the water is well oxygenated the bacteria consume most of the organic waiste. So it is reasonable that the organics (fish Waist) are also at very low levels. But since oxygen levels are high nitrate is not consumed. Only plants and algae can consume nitrate in high oxygen...
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    Carbon in a tank with plants ( adding fertilizer) ???

    Carbon can absorb some of the nutrients in the fertilizer but how much depends on the ingreents in the fertilizer. Bfut for the most part carbon is irrelevan because PH and KH have a much bigger effect on fertilizer. KH in your water will react with most sulfide ingredient ion many fertilizer...
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    How to store RO water for the aquarium

    I have been using RO water for years in my 5 gallon container.. I store it is 2 liter soda bottles. Ro water doesn't go bad You can put it in a center and store it for a year and then just add it to the tank. But it is important to state that not all RO water is the same. Some RO filters are...
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    Plants help

    what fertilizer are you using andhwo do you dose itl? My experience with plants and fertilizer is that often the problem is the fertilizer is missing one nutrient plants. How often do you see a new leaf growing. Plants need 14 nutrients to grow (excluding light and CO2). If just one is...
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    Neocaridina playing dead?

    My experience with blue dream ship is that they typically turn orange when they die. I have never seen one floating at the surface motionless.
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    Freshwater shrimp safe water clarifier

    The Juvenal shrimp are so small that you often don't see them At that size the feed of the biofilm that coats everything in the tank. When doing a water change push the water syphon deep into the substrate. The substrate would then act as a filter to keep the shrimp out of the discarded water.
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    Do aquarium plants have seasons?

    aquatic plants do have seasons but it may not be related to temperature. in streams and lake the temperature varies less than it does in air. However the mineral content and associated water parameters such as GH, KH, PH, can change periodically due to rainfall and snow melt. So in some...
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    Green algae has attacked my favorite plant

    You cannot harm plants with too much light. All the plants in your tank are found in lakes and pond wthat are blasted with full sun. On a clear day at noon light levels are about 20,000 lumens. Most rooms in homes are at about 1000 lumens. Heat is the primary killler of terrestrial plants...
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    Using epoxy in an established aquarium

    I used 5 minute epoxy to modify a filter. The filter was not in the tank and dry when I applied epoxy. I gave it a few days to dry and then cleaned it before putting it in the tank. Saw nothing with my fish and shrimp to indicate a problem.
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    African Vampire shrimp... peaceful to each other???

    These shrimp are filter feeders they feed on particles of food or algae floating in the water. If there isn't enough in the water they may pickup material on top of the sand.
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    The Natural Aquarium

    The DNA that exists in all living things is made up of carbon hydrogen oxygen, nitrogen, and phosph=ous (phosphate) When a plant is growing it will consume ammonia, urea, nitrate and nitrite. because of the nitrogen in these moledcules. But the key is the plant needs to be growing...
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    The Natural Aquarium

    in calfironia if you go to the source of our water (the snow in the mountains you will find lake with no plants or fish in them. The water ism too pure. If you decend out of the mountains you will start to see algae but still no plant.s Once you get to Sacramento you enter the delta most of...
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    Fish deaths

    What are the actual numbers for each parameter you test? POST THE NUMBERS! A 10% water change is very small 30 to 50% once a week is probably what you need to do. It may take fish several week to recover from bad water from insufficient water changes. So one 70% water change may not work.
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    Bad idea to get shrimp?

    Ghost shrimp will not eat fish fry. Ghost shrimp are typically harvested from lakes or ponds a nd sold. Sometimes a different species of shrimp that looks very similar and is carnivorous will get mixed in and sold to you accidentally. The carnivorous variety will eat fish fry and sometimes...
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    What substrate is best for a planted tank?

    The best way to avoid using CO2 is to use the CO2 in the air. Water naturally bonds to CO2 so the more mixing of air and water you have the better. The best way to do this it to have a fountain or sray bare so that water from the bottom of the tank is lifted up above the surface of the water...
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    Mixing ferilizers

    Azoo Plant premium uses EDTA and DTPA incredents for the micros. These ingredients will not react with carbonate in the water. Flourish Trace uses sulfate ingredients that react with carbonate. So in pactic Flourish trace should be added in small amounts once a day while Aloo once a week will...
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    Favorite CO2 methods for planted tank?

    For CO2 the best way I found to CO2 into the water a passive CO2 system In passive CO2 you have an inverted glass or bottle in the tank with no air in it. The water in the gass is then replaced with CO2. CO2 rapidly saturates the water at the opening of the glass or bottle. And water flow...
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    Sturdy shelving for fish tanks (Uk only)

    a 70 liter of water is 70kg. Add the weight of the tank and substrate to that. As long as each shelf is well below 200Kg you should be fine as long as the information of the web is correct. However check the shelving and rack for warping or bending as you load it. it shouldn't warp if...
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    Mystary plant killer.

    Plant are not very sensate to water temperature. Many plants typically found in quariums will do well below 60 fahrenheit. They do have limits for hot water but probably can handle 90F. Snails won't kill Salvinia neither will temperature or water spray or high water current. High water...
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    Papa John's Dang Near Killed Me

    My sister stocks her bird feeders with hit pepper oil mix in. The squirrels won't raid the bird feeders any more. Hot peppers affect most mammals but not birds. The bepper evolved to attract bird which scatter the seeds widely. The hot portion of the bobber evolved to keep mammals away...
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    Sturdy shelving for fish tanks (Uk only)

    the first thing you need to do is to identify the size and weight of the tanks you want on the shelf. Water weighs 1kg per liter or 8 lbs per gallon. That is just the weight of the water. Tank substrate will add to that. So a small 5 gallon tank will weigh close to 50 lbs. Once you know the...
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    Poison rocks

    I looks like granite with quartz and iron oxide. I don't see any goldHowever the water on it could hide that A rock with gold material is often iron pyrite (fools gold) an iron sulfide material. However on rare occasions some grant will have real gold between white quartz.
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    Poison rocks

    If you let the rock soak in vinegar or bleach solution for a time check the color of the liquid after the soak. If there is no change in the color of liquid it's OK. It is vey rare for rocks to leach a toxic material in the water but it can happen. A long time ago I read of person that had...
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    Shrimp and Nitrates

    When plants are growing they need to make KNA. DNA is made up of Carbon, hydrogen, NITROGEN, and PHOSPHATE. So if your plants are growing they will consume nitrogen. Doesn't mater the species or were if grows (floating or rooted) in the substrate. But if the plants are not growing they wil...
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    Nerite snails

    At present no nerite scales are being raised commercially in tanks. Nerite snailes live in river deltas. The snail moves in and out of the ocean water but spends most of its time in fresh water. Nerite eggs can only hatch in salt water. It is very difficult to set up a tank that can be used...
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    How often should liquid fertilizer be applied?

    It was beta about 10 about a decade ago but I haven't seen any changes sinc e I started using it about 5 years ago. It's a good tool to have bookmarked in your browser.
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    How often should liquid fertilizer be applied?

    from my own experience makin my own fertilizer, it depends on the ingredients in the fertilizer. Seachem comprehensive has the following micro ingredients: iron gluconate manganese sulfate Boric acid Zinc sulfate Copper sulfate sodium molybdate These sulfate ingredients react with KH which is...
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    Liquid Fertilizer & Shrimps

    Keep in mind that plant need copper to grow. If there is no copper in your tank plants will eventually die. Also shrimp have copper based blood, not the iron based blood in your body. Shrimp will also die if their food or water doesn't have copper. pLants need about 3ppm (3 microgramms per...
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    balancing act... water...

    Calcium and magnesium carbonate push the PH of water to 7. Not higher not lower. they dissolve in acidic water but in high PH water they precipitate out as a solid. GH is the only test you should look at to measure the hardness of water. It is specific to calcium and Magnesium. KH...
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    Water hardness question

    The water report show 164 mg/l (ppm)calcium carbonate. Your test kits measure in degrees. 1 degree is about 17.8mg/l You have hard water. Converting 164 ppm to degrees I get 9 degrees consistent with your test kit.
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    Rocks that turn water acidic

    Dolomite is CaMg(CO3)2 There is noting in dolomite that would make water. Generally dolomite react with acid releasing CO2 and that pushes the PH up to about 7. Once the PH is above 7 the dolomite stops reacting and PH stabilizes at 7 or very close to it. The CO2 released can make the...
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    Plants and nitrate

    urea is a chemical you can buy from any chemical store. Most people does potassium nitrate to add nitrogen to the water. But it also adds more potassium than needed. Urea does not add any potassium. Seachem Nitrogen is primarily Urea.
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    Where to buy non-lead plant weights?

    i go to lowes or Home Depot and buy pluming solder no lead and doesn't corrode But for drift wood you would likely need a lot. A piece of Sstainless steel or just regular steel would also work Regular steel corrodes but doesnt dissolve in the water (unless it is very acidic water. Stainless...
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    Plants and nitrate

    I have blue dream shrimp in my 5 gallon heavily planted. I am currently dosing urea (CO2(NH2) at the equivalent to 10ppm NO3 and have about 20 to 30 shrimp in the tank. All plant willl consume nitrogen WHEN GROWING. If your plants are not growing they are not consuming nitrogen.
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    Raising PH

    PH of the tank will depend on Calcium magnesium sodium, potassium, sulfur, chlorine levels. Sodium and potassium push the PH up to 10 or higher.. chlorine and sulfur will push it down to 5 or lower.. Now tap water will typically have some chloride salts and sulfate salts. The salts don't...
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    Dragon Stone disintegration... what the??

    dragon stone is just a name someone gave a rock with a specific look. Some rock sold as dragon stone doesn't break down and will last indefinitely. Others are sedimentary rock and will eventually turn into sand or clay. Sone sedimentary rocks will turn to sand or mud in weeks. While other...
  38. S

    Plastic food container for plants

    Any plastic labeled food grade has been certified as safe for storing food while not placing any toxic chemicals in food. And grade plastcs can be purchased in any color you want. Coloring the plastic doesn't make the plastic unsafe. If it did it could not be sold as food safe. Of corse...
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    Fish Constantly Dying

    your test kit only provides general water parameters. that are generally an interest in aquariums. It won't tel you if you have contaminated water or high metal levels. An ICP OES test can detect 40 elements in the water and it could provide Us with clearer picture of your water. This test...
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    Having problems with floaters… thinking too much water movement

    In my experience there is only one reason for problems growing floaters. Lack of nutrients. Floaters can geta all the CO2 they need from the air and they are typically found in very humid climates and get full sunlight which is a lot stronger than any aquarium light. water current and...
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