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Shilo

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Everything posted by Shilo

  1. If the water from your concrete tank has a low KH then I wouldn't worry about aluminium leaching out, the water tank would be very well aged for a low KH and any aluminium would have leached out long ago. Fresh concrete should have a high KH because it is made from calcium carbonate. Before fiddling with the water chemistry for plants, grow some first and then work out what if anything is missing. The plants will tell you with the colour of any dying leaves what they need. Same for the BB, I wouldn't consider 6.8 as very soft water & also had no problems when I was on tank water. A lot of minerals will be added naturally from excess food and waste of the fish and BB. Apply the K.I.S.S principle and adjust what is needed when you know it is needed.
  2. Mines also gone off its regular food. Could be change of season with the water warming up. It does this now and again so not too worried about it (Nitrates <10ppm before water change & no ammonia or nitrites). But a change of food especially live food gets it eating now and again, currently its earthworms. They have to be wiggling right past its nose before it decides to eat. The fish is healthy and apart from not eating hasn't changed its behaviour at all so not a problem. The previous times it stopped eating for a few weeks it would suddenly go on a binge & eat everything in sight (which is why I don't have anymore small fish in the tank)......
  3. I got my foam from http://fish2water.co.nz/hamburg-matten-filter.php Poret foam is what you are after since it will last the lifetime of your tank.
  4. Shilo

    Mantic Shrimp

    Forget the rock pools. Try sandy / muddy bottoms of harbour channels where they can dig burrows. There are 2 sorts in NZ now, the native and a recent immigrant from Japan. The Japanese one is found in the Hokianga, Kaipara and Manakau harbours. Most of the 2 types are seen when caught in flounder nets.
  5. Suppose you could always put a complaint via Trademe. A lot of adverts there are not original photo's of the items - big tell tale is a new item with a plain white background with the same image used on Ebay etc listings. Most people & even businesses don't realise that all images on the web are copyrighted to the original owner unless the creative commons licence has been applied to them. Even if they do come to an agreement with you to use your pics, for their own sake and those of purchasers HFF should state on trademe listings that the image represent the species but not the exact fish for sale. Otherwise for an expensive fish like an Arowana (different grade of fish etc then advertised) they could be taken to the disputes tribunal.
  6. Just got a copyright infringement settled this morning when another accommodation business was using one of the photo's from my website for her own. First a nice polite email stating that what they are doing is wrong (their website was made by another company) and asking her to correct it, then after a month sent her a more professionally written email stating that she was infringing on my copyrighted material, it has to be taken down by the end of the month and legal avenues will be implemented if it isn't removed. It was changed this morning. In your case I would: Put a copyright notice on the bottom of the web pages like in my case "Copyright 2017 © Kawhia Camping Ground" Then send HFF an email asking them to stop using your photos else further action will be taken. Have a look at this pdf for info: http://www.copyright.org.nz/html/blob.php/Infringement+of+copyright+-+What+should+I+do.pdf?attach=true&document=511&filetypecode=1&fileId=131 HFF's problem is most likely that it is not them updating the website but a web designer & the designer is just taking the easy way out by copying other peoples work. The designer may not even be NZ based. If they think you are serious then they will most likely stop doing it - I doubt it would ever have to go to court but the threat of that helps.
  7. Shilo

    Sump overflow

    When you turn off your pump (or there is a power cut) the water will siphon from the return pipe in your tank down into your sump. If your outlet of the return pipe is on or just below the water surface it will only siphon down to this level. But if your outlet is near the bottom of the tank all the water above it could siphon out. Can be easily stopped by using a check valve (not recommended) or a small hole drilled through the return pipe just below the water surface as a siphon break (will suck in air and stop the siphoning action). This will mean the water will only siphon out to the level of the hole you drilled. But what ever method you use you need to allow room in the sump for the extra water that will flow into it before the siphon action breaks and stops. If you use an overflow on the sump instead then when the pump starts up again the tank will fill back up to its normal level but the sump will be drained. An overflow is only needed on the sump if you plan on using an automatic drip water change system (water continuously dripping into the tank or sump with the excess going out of the overflow to avoid having to do manual water changes).
  8. Yup the Pleco may have just told everybody who is boss! More courgettes
  9. Looks like a wound that has become infected. Could have been caused by another fish or damage from swimming into a hard / sharp object in the tank. 1st thing to do is to put the fish in a hospital tank if you are able. This will make treating it much easier & keep it away from the possibility of being stressed from other fish. If you don't have the equipment for a hospital tank (even a plastic storage container, small filter with some media from the main tank works well), then the fish would have to be treated by either the dip method (stressful for fish) or the whole main tank treated (expensive). It looks like it could be either Columanris which is a bacteria or a fungal infection. Both require different treatments. The Wunder Tonic should help if it is a fungus but it doesn't clear up then it is probably Columanris and then the best treatment is Furan 2 which is an antibiotic. Furan 2 is expensive to treat a whole tank which is why a hospital tank is best. Columanris can also effect the gills which may be why it is breathing fast, but try fungus treatments first. Adding salt to the water can also help. Good luck!
  10. Nifty trick using the switch! When I originally did my canopy the glue on the back of the strips eventually gave way causing them to droop. Fixed it by simply hot gluing them on with strips of hot glue over the top between the LEDs. My canopy is painted with white acrylic on the inside so it may not happen on a varnished one. After awhile some of the LED's started to die (a problem with some cheap strips) & I ended up replacing them with a commercial LED light.
  11. Its fine with the others. As above the GK is the boss of the tank and even tries to take food out of the eels mouth - the eel just ignores him. Bullies move out of the eels way but only when they are about to be pushed not because they are scared of it. My fingers are another matter as it can bite when hand feeding because my fingers smell of food and its eye sights not the best (doesn't hurt). Interesting to watch him feed because when hunting for left over food it will start to swim straight past a piece then back up and grab it. Think he approaches a piece of food as the smell increases then when it starts to diminish he can pinpoint which side it is on (via nostrils sticking out either side above his mouth). P.S. the white line on its back is just something stuck to its slime coating. Thought it had ich the other day only to realise it had grains of sand stuck to it. Butch also wanting to be fed despite a stomach stuffed full (better count my Inanga's again).
  12. Where's my food! Its been 2 hours since you've fed me!!!!
  13. Tanks going well. Butch the GK is living up to his name in both shape and attitude as he rules all of his domain. The 2 female Redfins are their cheeky self & I still haven't got my a into g and got some males for them. The Inanga's have dropped in numbers from 15 in November down to 9. No dead fish found and since it was only the smaller ones that disappeared and the GK looks fat each time I know the cause....... As the GK grows I expect the Inanga population to proportionately fall. One major change was adding a small shortfin eel in December. I hadn't seen the cray for a few months so decided it must have died in its hole so got the shortfin. It is not something I recommend for a tank even one of 500ltr as it will outgrow it (the originally 15cm eel has doubled its size in only 5 months). But it is very intelligent & entertaining. Within 2 days of getting it, it was coming to the surface to feed from my hand. Feeding time is 4.30pm and will make itself known during that time and insists on being hand feed even if my fingers are a couple inches above the water. It also puts up with being petted and will come out of hiding & weave itself through my fingers during the day (good party trick for camp guests). A couple of weeks ago I spotted the eel and the cray having a territory dispute over a hole so the cray is still alive and kicking butt. The tank is in the reception area of a camping ground and very few NZ'ers seem to realise that they are natives. After I advise them that they are natives they automatically assume that its a saltwater tank because "only trout live in streams". Depressing how many can recognise a native bird but have no idea of freshwater fish.
  14. One 625ml pack should do the tank & probably the background. You only need to do the inside of the tank if the outside is painted with an enamel paint. Materials required for tank: Ply, pva glue, stainless screws, epoxy, epoxy colouring (if required), putty to fill in screw heads, paint, silicon, glass for viewing panel. Tools: Circular saw, jig saw, drill / screw driver, sand paper, plastic sqeegie, router (optional), paint brush. Materials for 3d background: Polystyrene, toothpicks, grout, epoxy to seal, silicon to glue to tank. Tools: Fine saw, sharp craft knife, glue gun, small sureform, sand paper, paint brush for dapping on grout, paint brush for epoxy coating.
  15. I have read in forums that a lot of people use pond waterproofer and haven't heard of anything bad about it. But personally I went with https://www.mitre10.co.nz/shop/ados-all-purpose-resin-625ml-pale-amber/p/370939 because pond liner only coats the surface of the wood, epoxy penetrates a bit deeper into it especially if the wood is heated before applying the first coat. I figured it would protect the ply if scratched so no chance of water soaking into the wood underneath. The epoxy can be coloured. I lined the ply with fibreglass cloth for added protection but I had some laying around and if 3 or more coats of epoxy is used the cloth wouldn't be needed for a 50 gal. Tips for working with epoxy: Only mix small amounts as 1/2 a cup full can heat up fast. Use a plastic sqeegie to spread it & don't work it too much otherwise it goes cloudy. Heating the wood for the first coat (hot air gun) means the epoxy gets sucked into the pores of the wood as the wood cools. It is safe to use but most importantly wear gloves and don't scratch your head - its impossible to remove from your hair!
  16. No to the marine ply - you don't need it. Standard untreated ply will do just as well if coated in epoxy etc after you made the tank so long as its not the very cheap stuff that is fill of voids. Marine ply is a lot more expensive and would still need coating.
  17. Recommended rate of flow is between 600 - 2200LPH so any pump or filter within this flow rate should work. Product Recommended Flow Rate Aquarium Size HC-100A 200 to 1000 LPH 100 Litres HC-150A 250 to 1200 LPH 150 Litres HC-250A 600 to 2200 LPH 250 Litres HC-300A 1000 to 2500 LPH 300 Litres HC-500A 1200 to 3000 LPH 500 Litres HC-1000A 1500 to 4000 LPH 1000 Litres HC-2200B 3000 to 6000 LPH 2000 Litres
  18. 9mm or preferably 12mm ply will make an easier build then thinner as its thick enough to be able to screw into the ends. This thickness will also not need any external support to keep it from bowing, but I would still use a eurobrace on the top to avoid this just in case. Don't bother with marine ply as it will be coated with epoxy (my preference) or pond liner anyway. The price of a 50 gal in ply will work out to cost more to make then the same in glass. Ply, viewing glass, glue, s/s screws, epoxy (or pond liner), paint or stain for the outside, tools if you haven't got them ...... All adds up. When you get over the 100 gal sized tanks then ply will work out cheaper because of the thickness of the glass needed for a glass tank. But its a great project! 3D background. Make out of polystyrene, a polystyrene insulation sheet from the hardware store is what I used. Cut one piece to the size of the rear of the tank and use the rest to cut out humps, bumps, rock shapes - whatever you want. Hold it all together with toothpicks to work out the general design you want then glue (I just used a hot glue gun). Carve out the poly (a small sureform & 40g sand paper works well) to create the final look then use sand paper to smooth off to a water worn look if required. This process is messy and poly beads / dust will be all over the place! Coat with grout. Use different shades of grout for highlights and shadows if you want to get artistic. Once hardened the grout will change the PH of the water so either soak it for a month or coat with epoxy. Those 10w flood lights should be fine for your chosen plants - maybe even a bit strong? Ira look here to see what Celcuis is referring to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU_y6OK2qK0 I think a corner mattenfilter should work so long as it is large enough, but by design it will take up some of the room in the tank.
  19. 9mm or preferably 12mm ply will make an easier build then thinner as its thick enough to be able to screw into the ends. This thickness will also not need any external support to keep it from bowing, but I would still use a eurobrace on the top to avoid this just in case. Don't bother with marine ply as it will be coated with epoxy (my preference) or pond liner anyway. The price of a 50 gal in ply will work out to cost more to make then the same in glass. Ply, viewing glass, glue, s/s screws, epoxy (or pond liner), paint or stain for the outside, tools if you haven't got them ...... All adds up. When you get over the 100 gal sized tanks then ply will work out cheaper because of the thickness of the glass needed for a glass tank. But its a great project! 3D background. Make out of polystyrene, a polystyrene insulation sheet from the hardware store is what I used. Cut one piece to the size of the rear of the tank and use the rest to cut out humps, bumps, rock shapes - whatever you want. Hold it all together with toothpicks to work out the general design you want then glue (I just used a hot glue gun). Carve out the poly (a small sureform & 40g sand paper works well) to create the final look then use sand paper to smooth off to a water worn look if required. This process is messy and poly beads / dust will be all over the place! Coat with grout. Use different shades of grout for highlights and shadows if you want to get artistic. Once hardened the grout will change the PH of the water so either soak it for a month or coat with epoxy. Those 10w flood lights should be fine for your chosen plants - maybe even a bit strong? Ira look here to see what Celcuis is referring to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU_y6OK2qK0 I think a corner mattenfilter should work so long as it is large enough, but by design it will take up some of the room in the tank.
  20. Balance, balance, balance..... Complex plants are more efficient then algae but algae is more "adaptable". Thus if there is any left over nutrients that the plants don't use the algae will take advantage of it and grow. But if the plants are using all available nutrients (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, phosphates, micro-nutrients like iron & other minerals etc) then the algae will starve. So the secret is to put into the tank only enough for good plant growth but not enough to encourage the algae. Unless you are using ferts "putting into" means fish food. Also part of balance is controlling light & CO2. Forget about Carbon Dioxide unless you are turbo charging the plant growth by pumping in CO2, ultra bright lights and fertilisers. Too much light will encourage algae & too little will effect plant growth. Cutting lights back to 4hrs / day will slow down the algae but will also slow plant growth & once you up the time period again (because of plant die off) the algae will just return unless the other parts of the equation (nutrients etc) are balanced out. You don't introduce algae to a tank, it will always find its way there and even if it disappears it will come back once things get out of wack again. Complex plants make use of the blue and red spectrum of light but don't worry about this as its more important to have the above in balance. If the lights are too bright then you could always try covering it with shade cloth or something similar or lift it to dull it. Keep up the water changes and up the light period to 8 hours- dull it if its too strong. Experiment. Cut down on the fish food (they are cold blooded so don't need to eat as much as we do). Through trial and error you will eventually get to a level where the plants and fish are happy but the algae's not.
  21. I use one those ones from the Warehouse with small wheels on the bottom as a quarantine / hospital tank, haven't had any noticeable problems. Cold water though & if I used a heater I would make sure it was kept away from the plastic (a lot of plastics soften at 60C). Also only keep it 2/3rds full to prevent any bowing of the sides.
  22. Check your phosphate levels, this is another algae cause in addition to light and nitrates.
  23. Shilo

    Help plz!

    1. the stocking is fine with the current tank & pump size. 2. Air pump won't be needed. It would have helped because the bacteria bloom had depleted the oxygen level, I wouldn't worry about getting another once the tank is up and running properly. You could get another filter if you want but the current one is fine. 3. I have a piece of drift wood that has been in the tank for 2 years and still insists on floating. You could weigh it down with a rock or glue it to a tile (hot glue gun) and cover the tile with substrate to hide it.
  24. Shilo

    Help plz!

    Filter is the correct size as commonly work on a flow of 5 times the tank volume per hour (15g tank x 5 = 75g / hr). In this case it sounds like it was simply overloaded (over feeding & lack of water changes) & thus it looked like it wasn't working. A filter with sponge and floss in it will be working 2 ways: Biologically and mechanically. It will be mechanically filtering out any largish particles in the water by trapping them and the surface area inside the floss & sponge would enable bacteria to grow to turn harmful ammonia into nitrites and eventually less harmful nitrates. What you want to do for the filter to be efficient is once a week wash the floss & sponge in siphoned off tank water (not tap water especially if chlorinated!). This will unclog the pores of the media by removing any mulm which consists of large particles and dead bacteria & allow more "real estate" for healthy bacteria to grow. You want the healthy bacteria to survive the cleaning process so don't use any chemicals or dry it out at all. Water changes are still a must even if the filter is working at peak efficiency. You can do either 10% per day or 35% twice a week or 50% per week (easiest option). By cutting down on the feeding and doing the above your tank water should be crystal clean.
  25. You may have to replace the transformer / power pack for the lights. The US uses 110V and not the 240V here,
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