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I really like the look of Riccia when used as a ground cover. Glosso is growing on me, too. Riccia needs to be tied to something, right? How does Amano keep it down as a cover? 100 pieces of slate covering the substrate? That seems unlikely...and unhealthy. What else is out there that...

Every time I test my water, the kH is low, but the gH is pretty good. Something is consuming my CaCO2. Know what it is?

Strange branching filamenteous algae is in both my tanks, but is getting pretty serious in my 70. Only seems to grow on the Malaysian wood. The snails and Otos don't touch it. Any idea what nutrient/mineral might be causing it? Is it even algae?

Starting to look like something. Still not happy with the cloudiness, though. Also need to get moved into the new house so I can swtich to the Eco-Complete. The darker substrate should help the color pallette tremendously. One month ago. Tonight. A couple lillys with emergent growth.

I'm looking to order my first batch of fertilizers. I noticed the breakdown of Plantex CSM has 7% iron. Since my substrate is a source of Iron, I'm concerned that the CSM will promote an algae outbreak from an excess of it. Do the plants just absorb the iron from the water column instead of...

I'm trying to build a bubble-tight recharge valve setup for my Vortex filter. The one that came with it is junk. Anybody know of a cheap source for compact 1/2"-3/4" 3-way ball valves or diverter valves? I'd prefer plastic valves, but I'd consider brass at this point. Don't want to spend...

Was browsing the LFS yesterday and saw they had just received a new Marineland tank with odd proprtions. It was a 110 tall, 48"x18"x30". The glass was about 1/2" thick. Here's a crappy picture:

I ordered two bags of Eco-Complete last week. I've been running Flourite in my planted tank, but wanted a deeper bed, so I thought I'd try the E-C. Well, I set up a filtered, planted 1 gallon tank for my desk this weekend and used some of the E-C in it. Man, that's nice stuff. MUCH nicer...

Decided against my better judgement to get a small display tank for a male Betta while I was at the store the other day. They had one set up at the checkout and I thought it looked so nice. It holds about a quart of water. I put some river sand in the bottom and a live Java Fern and set it up...

I have moonlights on both my tanks. The 70 gal uses three white 1W LEDs that I run for about two hours after lights-out and then they shut off until about two hours before lights-on. The 55 uses two violet/UV 3/4W LEDs that currently run all night. I recently learned that plants use the dark...

Anybody running an Aqua-Medic Reactor 1000? I'm starting to assemble my pressurized CO2 system and would like to mount the reactor in-line with the filter outlet plumbing. Problem is, the filter uses 5/8" tubing and the reactor uses 1/2". I can't find any listings for replacement parts or...

Is there a rule of thumb for stocking levels to help create a balanced aquatic ecosystem (flora vs. fauna vs. microorganisms)? I've got a planted 55 that I would like to turn into a fairly self sustaining ecosystem. Obviously, I would feed the fish, provide heat and light, and run mechanical...

Darn online shopping! I go to order two simple test kits...maybe $20 worth. Then I think, "crap. my shipping cost is gonna be 50% of my bill.", so I start searching for other stuff I "need". Ended up adding a bag of floss, two thermometers, two boxes of bio-media, a sachet of phos-ban, and...

I've been trying to get a picture of my Pleco since I joined here. He's REALLY shy. Spends all the daylight hours hiding in his cave. This morning I got up for work and saw him laying out in the LED "moonlight". I tip-toed past the tank thinking for sure he would bolt like he always does...

I installed a Hydor 100w HydroKable in the bottom of my 70 gal (48x22x25 corner bowfront). I selected that wattage based on the mfg.'s recommendations. I did NOT opt for the ThermoSET thermostat to accompany it as I understood that it was unnecessary if the cable was properly sized. From what...

I have been running a skimmer on my Fluval to help with protein film and other floating debris. The tank is low-to-medium light with no CO2 or aeration. I run the exhaust port of the Fluval under the water surface to reduce noise. Does the skimmer adversely affect my CO2 levels? Is it...

I'm moving to a new home in the country this summer. I spent all last summer installing a new water treatment and plumbing system. I'll have an 2 1/2 gal under-counter RO unit, and an oversized softener (oversized to keep the salt dose low). I don't remember the exact breakdown of the...

I've been a bad boy. I've been keeping fish for almost twenty years and haven't tested the water more than a handful of times and even THAT was only simple pH and ammonia testing when I first started way back when. Anyway, I've been trying to keep plants for little while now and I started to...

I fretted over the choices for a couple weeks. Finally took the plunge yesterday. First off, this is for a 70 gallon corner tank, about 24" deep. Substrate heat. Sand over the heat cable, then about 3" of Flourite. 2.75 wpg, 50% 10,000k, 50% 6,700k (SunPaq pc bulbs). Rena Xp3 filter. I...

Here's my old 55. I've had this setup for about fifteen years, though some of the equipment has come and gone. Even the tank was replaced once, due to a leak I didn't feel like fixing. Primarily stocked with Giant Danios, but there is 13" Pleco hiding under the large rock cave in the center...

My wife got me this Marineland tank for my Birthday last month. Just got water in it a week ago. Still cycling, obviously (hence, the cloudiness). See my profile for an equipment list... Right now, it's just got 9 mollies it to help the cycle. I divided and plopped in a $6 peace lilly...

Some of these guys are over 6 years old... They move so much, it's hard to catch them on film!

I'd like to discuss big plecos. When I say big, I mean 10"+... I've got a Pleco of around 13" that's to the point that he has a hard time turning around in my 55 gal tank. He is longer as the tank is wide and has to rub his nose against the front/back glass and "wiggle" to get turned around...

Hi all. This looks like a pretty active board! I'm a member of several other boards for some of my other interests, but this is my first time on a aquarist board. I'm not NEARLY as sophisticated at the hobby as most of you, I suspect. OK, so my name is Chris. I'm 31. I've been keeping a...