Recent content by spongy

Hi all, I'm currently setting up a Cichlid tank and am having trouble scaping it, I've bought a bit of ocean rock, but the pieces aren't that nice really, and I have some slate too which is ok but I'm struggling with rocks and stones. Can I just use stones from the beach? I know they'll be...

Tank is just sitting there looking all cloudy due to a bacteria bloom at present, I haven't been able to try any scapes yet as I have a 10 week old baby that takes all my time when I'm not at work!!! I shall try something tonight hopefully as I'm blessed with an early finish so I may make it...

Hi all, I'm going to start a journal about my switch from South American biotype. Background: I've had a tropical set up for a few years, it was only a low tech tank, but it was flourishing, my plants and fish were thriving but a house move has been a disaster, the water to my new house is a...

I've been reading up on scaping Cichlid tanks and have learned that you need to put the rocks in first and place sand around them so if a fish digs under they won't drop and crack the glass, but my question is what do you use as a base layer? Anything that doesn't rot I presume?

Sorry, I didn't state that earlier, I thought everyone would take it as I a given that I do that. I have the Api master kit and the only change in my water has been the pH level. Had a slight fluctuation after the move but the only significant change that has persisted is the the pH. I still...

I was already pretty low maintenance, no co2 or anything, it was flourishing but since the house move everything has died bar one plant that looks impossible to kill. I think the change to a higher pH is taking its toll on everything and everyone. A move to fish who suit my water is better than...

That does look pretty good. I popped in to the Hassocks garden centre on the way home today and saw quite a good set up in there but it was in a live tank so not for sale. It was white rock that looked all weird shapes and had holes in it, think it would look good against my black gravel.

I am pretty local, Brighton boy since birth and just moved to Hassocks in June so you're really not far away :) I'll quite happily pop down and have a look, I'm undecided on what rock work to really go with, the Vision 180 is actually quite tall so I don't want to go too high with them, but I...

Thanks for the replies people. Very helpful indeed :) This is my current substrate, it's a black Quartz that was quite pricey, you can see the grain size, is this suitable for allowing cichlids to dig a little? All I have to do then is get hold of some ammonia to keep my bacteria happy...

I currently have a south american themed tropical set up, but having moved house in June I'm really struggling, the move really upset my fish and I lost a few, which is understandable but still annoying.   The main reason I'm looking at swapping is that my water has gone from reasonably soft to...

Oh. Better get this sorted then. Bugger.

Thankyou! It seems we have a winner! They are useful things to have but not in large numbers by the looks of it. I don't over feed and do my regular plant trimming and maintenance once a week so I'm not entirely sure how they got there, and they're near the top of the tank, I have good flow so...

As per a thread I started earlier in the Tropical Discussion section not knowing what these things are I have been told that these worm things are a type of algae... Can anyone tell me what type it is and how I can get rid of it please...

Algae? Seriously? They look like they're alive wafting in the flow and rather disturbing actually! Can anyone tell me what type it is and what the best way to get rid of it?

I'm not sure what section to post in but I have some weird things afoot in my tank ..... They started growing about a month ago, out of my piece of wood, I find it strange as the wood has been in there for about a year. I pulled the first lot off and they have disappeared, but there are more...