Recent content by matty2085

Ok great thanks. I looking for plants that feed from the water column really. They need to be easy to care for as I'm not terribly green fingered.

Hey I'm thinking of getting a Echinodorus ozelot but am pretty inexperienced with this plant. I don't want it to grow too huge. I was wondering whether it has to be fed fertiliser via the substrate. Will it still grow with out extra food?

Just an aside regarding API tests. Make sure you don't get too much shadow when you hold the tube up to the card. This is particularly troublesome with the nitrate test as the reds are hard to distinguish against. Hold the tube slightly away from the card in a well lit room.

My pH is at 8.2 and always stays that way, even in my tank. I do have driftwood but our water is so hard so I'm guessing this doesnt even touch the pH. I would much rather keep the pH as it is. I have never added anything and never would. My fish are fine and definitely benefit from very slow...

I keep mine running normally, the guppies like to chase the flakes. I do turn it off, or reduce the flow if I want to feed my rams something specific like bloodworms or smaller pellets I tend to turn it off as it makes placing the food for them easier. It also makes it easier to see where all...

Emperor tetra tend to be purple-ish.

Sure if can be wrong, but its not like its going to be metres out. I have a good idea what an inch looks like close to or far away from an aquarium.

I just approximate.

I am thinking of getting some Amazonian Frogbit but having trouble finding it in several of my LFS. Does anyone know of a good place to get this from in the UK? I am based in London. Cheers

Excellent sites there...thanks a lot for those. Especially tropica.com

Try em all! Whatever your fish like best. Mine get NLS cichlid pellets as well as bloodworm so a varied diet so I don't rely on flakes too heavily.

Hikari also do some very good flakes. Always go down well with mine.

Get Bolivians. IMO they are less finicky and actually have a lot more character/more willing to greet you. They are like dogs. GBRs seem more like cats :) Maybe it's just mine but the have great colour and I personally prefer their more subtle colour.

Hard to tell as a bit blurry but probably either a siamese algae eater or a Chinese algae eater.

I have a very similar problem with hard water and high pH. From my experience there are more than just discus and tetra that don't adapt we'll and certainly don't live up to their full life expectancy, whether farm bred or not. It's important to try and find fish suitable to your water rather...