phoenix44

NO! I made it myself!

Everything has a pH. our skin is a good example. but to measure pH you need for the solid to be in a liquid and that solid will change the pH of the liquid. Typically you would use deionised water to get the most accurate result for a pH test, and measure the effect the solid has on the pH of the deionised water. Basically you have acids , neutral and bases / alkaline. without going into the nitty gritty of pH and how to change it if you have basic water (high pH) and want it to go lower you need to add an acid (low pH) or something acidic like driftwood. pH 7 is neutral. Adding a base to basic water will not really lower the pH unless you reduce the amount of base in the solute, thereby altering the concentration of H+ and OH- ions.

LOL this is how it was before (well I just took this pic but this is how it was before)

Laterite is very very high in Iron, so if any thing is is making your plants red/brown - which is a good thing really for crypts it will be that and the aquabasis. If you aren't getting algae with your current fert dosing regime; I would not change it. Laterite is nothing short of a miracle if it is used correctly.

see this is what I mean - http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/3955666 ... shing-hell You take the bad apples and apply their tendencies to an entire population.

I think journalists need to be reminded that they need to report the news, not create it. It really angers me when they do things like that.

Didn't you just buy it! This is what my rig looks like

First 2 pics appear to be a female. Unlikely to make a noticeable in the short run difference as crypts are heavy root feeders. I think the tank is really beautiful. is that flourite, and is that laterite i see speckled through the gravel?

6500K LEDs can be a bit dear. but any thing from about 6000K - 12000K would be fine.

yeah. very very effective and quite ingenious too. however if you have nitrates, just add plants to the tank and plant it up - kinda hard in a native tank i guess where the fish don't do high light... or do water changes too!

whoa. they have grown heaps!

Just had a second go. This time with all lights out and its dark so that helps, and the first set of lights are off. Any one hazard a guess? (scottie, tania dont guess :lol: )

hmm. David I hope they were constantly washing their hands and using that alcohol sanitizer, especially before handling a pup. bacterial transfers from an adult unhealthy dog to a puppy are unlikely but who on earth wants to take that chance huh?

So it was the diffuser then! :lol: That's good to know. Plants will be happier now - not that it looks like they need it.

Dog looks like he about to lick you to death :lol: I think it was just a case of wrong place, wrong time. The dog was in new territory, new sights, new smells and with all the other rotties around probably a little freaked. he did what any scared animal would do. I don't fully understand how she got bitten though. It's really sad.

no tape measure. :lol:

yeah, that happens a lot. mid way through conversation ill stop and be like - "did you see that tail?" :lol: apart from the discus and some cardinals you can't see much really.

errr alright... 3x L066 - 2 more to come 2xL002 15?x Spotty BN 2x lancelota whiptail 11x brochis splendis 1X L168 Male 2x Dwarf flag cichlids 1x Male Agasazzi 3x Checkerboard discus from Ron 6-8x Apisto steel blue (sentimental value :oops: ) 4x Veil tail blue rams 4-6x clown loaches 32 (??? maybe more) x Cardinals - more to come 50 might be a good number. but you can That's all I can remember. i've removed a lot of the catfish to make room for more so basically the red whiptails and the red lizard whiptails are gone along with those awesome imported royal whiptails and a few other fancy plecos. Tank is 50cm high Adrienne. I think No can do buddy. i would literally pull my hair out in frustration. I planted literally hundreds of plants in there, and they are still in there. Occasionally I see one I have not seen in a few weeks and it always surprises me :lol: I know there are a tonne of crypts in there so when I salvage the tank at the end of the year (maybe) it will be like a treasure hunt. if you want to know what a particular plant is let me know, cause that would be easier.

LOL

You can add more cardinals easily. sounds like a nice tank. Have any pics?

Thanks! I'm currently working on getting the red plants on the RHS to get better. My macrandra has grown heaps and is blood red and not pink, so if i can grow that a bit more maybe it will be visible easily. I actually did a gravel vac this morning and changed 60L of the water. Flatmates came out to watch as I got my scissors and attacked the plants and hacked away :oops: Lots of plants are on the compost pit at the moment (leaves had algae). Also put one JBL ball under the big sword as some leaves have holes in them at the top, and added new DIY CO2 mixtures and added some flourish excel and comprehensive. Also cut down to 1 water change a week now cause the tanks no longer in my room. Did a water test at animates today and everything was A-OK. even the nitrates were 0 :lol: I am now getting one Lancelota whiptail every week until I have heaps. i love them.

Thanks, but it seems to be killing the contrast and im not sure how to reduce that. Someone told me it might be because of the light that sits right on top of the tank towards the front. I just played with a few other settings now; here are the results - Tank in the kitchen / breakfast bar - Female discus - Cardinals - And the overgrown sword-

Wow that's awesome. One could adapt that design for a HOB as well. And I love how its made of glass.

I see a crypt in the centre of the tank, towards the back. Can you get a close up?

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/c ... php?sid=24