Bubbles

Drifty. how did you get your hands on the IceCap ballast? From what I've read of them they're kick-@ss.

Re actinics: I'll use my current 3 foot T8 until I get some T5s up. Thanks for re-affirming my original plan Wasp. The tank will have large pieces of rock for aquascaping. Hmmmm, maybe SPS mountain

Yeah, it is an odd shaped tank. The length (100) means that it's just too short for 4 foot fluoros. The height (70) means it quite deep, hence 400W lights, however it does open up some nice possibilities for aquascaping. This will be my 'graduation' tank from 3 foot FO system so looking at doing things properly

My tank dimensions are: 100L x 50D x 70H I have a 250W SE halide, with the intention of getting another. However, I've started to wonder that due to the depth of the tank I should have gone with 400W instead. Maybe add a 400W over the deeper area of the tank, and keep the 250W for the higher aquascaped areas. I plan to add T5s in the future too, but will be using my 3' T8s in the meantime. Any thoughts?

For SE gear you can also try the Switched On Gardener. Just remember that the bulbs they stock aren't helpful for what you're trying to grow

Looking very nice Beachy. Why do you say those pumps are garbage Ghostface? I've got a few and mine seem ok.

Cheers guys

The tank has now been re-drilled. 2 bulkheads in the overflow (1 for backup) and a return added as well. All 32 mm Anyone tried one of these before: http://www.hansenproducts.co.nz/products/valve/cv.htm Haven't seen them in the shops either, just happened to stumble onto it on the website.

Cheers Wasp, glad to hear that you can get away with less. I'm currently setting up a new 350L tank, and have about 40KG in it now. It's only 6 pieces too, so I've been wondering if it's overkill.

I thought the general rule of thumb was: 1 pound of rock / gallon of water. With a 400G tank and 1500P of rock, I'm surprised he managed to keep anything with all that rock!

I don't intend to go the closed loop way, however there will be 4 x 800 LPH powerheads dropped behind the rock work to help circulate water. I may hook them up to my wavemaker device, but haven't decided yet. Suphew: are you suggesting that the above powerheads in addition to what the system can currently flow would be sufficient? Cheers for all the feedback so far everyone.

Doing very well thanks. Was doing some maintenance in the current tank the other night, female snuck up an nipped me when I wasn't looking. Just about died from fright :-? They're gonna love the new tank. 100L x 50W x 70H = 350L, plus current 3 footer as the sump. Just need to get the plumbing finished and the return pump.

Errrr, time to get back in the tank then

Another 1 inch hole is my preference too (hope I don't get banned for that!). Redundancy would be nice, as would the increased flow. In terms of placement, I'd like to have also have it on the back pane. In other words, somewhat higher than the existing one. Cheers Cracker, will PM to arrange a viewing.

Hi everyone, I'm in the process of setting up my new tank, and I've reached the point where I have to start giving serious thought to the plumbing. Total system volume is 450L (including sump). The tank has a corner overflow with a 1 inch bulkhead. According to the reefcentral calculator I can flow about 2200 L/H through the system, but I'm wondering whether that'll be sufficient At this point I believe my options are: 1) Leave it be and live with the 5x flow 2) Enlarge the existing hole 3) Add an additional hole in the same overflow 4) Install another corner overflow 5) Some other option someone here will suggest Any thoughts and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I've done something similar to the DIY link you posted Quark. I used it on an existing tank that I didn't want to drill, but also as an excuse the get a sump It works well, but you do need to know the risks involved. Most notibly that the syphon can break, and trust me they do. I used perspec pamphlet holders to build mine. They already have a nice shape for the drain, are fairly cheap and can easily fit most bulkheads you can buy.

That's awesome, thanks for sharing!

How does it compare to the Tunze product? I forked out over $30, but haven't used it yet. Would be good to know for next time.

Anyone fancy a road trip?

Here they are, happy as after a solid mysis feeding

I'm in Auckland, will try and get some decent shots up tonight

Hi everyone, long time lurker first time poster. I took Jimmy's clowns off his hands, one word to describe these guys would be 'vigorous'. They already act as if they own the tank! So far they're getting along with the other fish, but I can't find my shrimp anywhere!