Pies

Yeah man, use your own design if you think its better. As I said mine is sound and working (infact working on 2 large tanks (1600 litres x2)). Garantee you will look back and go "wow that was an awesome idea, geezzz that pieman is one smart and good looking guy, i can't belive i though about not doing it. thanks pie you are the man". Or something to that effect Pie

Glass weight is a funny one. If you look through my thread, it took 9 people to move my tank, 2 of my friends are complete ogres too and it was damn hard work. Heave stuff for sure. Pie

There are pics of my sumproom/fishroom in saltwater, not sure if thats of any use? Pie

I designed them, and had them made through the same engineering firm down here who made my frame. Cost to me, $110. the enineers I spoke to about it said the key is to use 2 rods 1 brace, not one rod. For larger tanks you would used 2x 2 not one brace with 4 rods. Pie

700 tall at 12mm will be fine. Regardless of the thickness of the glass, a center brace would most likley still be nessessary. 20mm thick would be cost prohibitive. I looked at 15mm glass for my tank, would have taken the cost over $10,000.00 in glass alone. I think you would be best to get over your fear of the stainless steel option. Its becomming more and more common, and is visiable on may over seas tanks now days. I have thousands invested in my tank, which is just a fraction of what I have invested in my home. If there was even the slightest amount concern in the SS option I would have done something else, the bottom line is SS is far superior to glass for braces. Remember it doesn't need to hold the whole weight of the tank, just support the existing strength. Good luck, be curiouis to see what you end up doing. NOTE: Going over 650 high has major disadvantages. Good luck Pie

10mm is probably a little too weak for a 650 high tank. If you can go 12mm you will be much better off. 12mm for the front and back, you could still go 10mm from the sides. I'd use either 12mm for the bottom or 2x 10mm (use a smaller plate for the inside so it acts as the bracing as well as strengthing the floor). You will get far to much diflection without using a center brace, little doubt about that. Not sure why you would be concerned about using the stainless rod technique, but if you don't want to do this you only have one other option, glass center brace. Personally I would never go back to glass braces again, the SS one is one of the best features of my new setup. Pie

I saw Reefs one some time back. Very cool (if not odd) looking fish. Pie

I don't really see it being a big deal. Technically this is the way its always been (or at least for many years). MAF - If your reading hear this. The harder you try and restrict harmless imports for legitimate business's the more you will fuel the necessity for ilegal/smuggled goods to come into the country. I would urge you control the importation not overly restrict it. Pie

Hey Cookie, no problem. The weather down here has been appauling, so we havn't collected water for quite a while. Over 2 months for me. In light of no water to change, I don't change any. I had a 25kg bag of salt I biffed out about a month ago, I would rather forgo the water change than use ASW. Keep in mind I have a low bio load fish wise and over 2500 litres of water, so this won't suit many people but works for me. I really want to do the water change, as I am going to run Flatworm Exit on my refugium which is teaming with them, but its just not practical at the moment. So I can't wait. As a general rule I try and do about 300 litres a month, which just just over 10% a month. So its not far overdue anyway and got a big (600 litre) change when we moved the sump a while back. Pray for good weather for us. Pie

? I assume its aimed at me? I'd like to know what you don't. What part of any stiring is going to hurt the hobby? Sounds fairly silly to me. As for posting things you didn't say, you implied it, and I didn't quote you. Be like me saying your a #$%( ()@$. Because I don't say it maybee i mean 'great guy' by your logic not something else. NSW is nightmare down here at the moment, rains every other day for the last 3-4 weeks. Pie

Cookie Extreme: What does all that about 23 years of expernane and successful tanks overseas have to do with storing natural sea water? Any why are we ALL FULL OF SHIT? I don't see much if anything that your wrote having anything to do with whats going on in this thread. Or did you mean to post it somewhere else? 23 years keeping corals and working as a cheif. WOW! Pie

Control - I don't think much of that is partically correct if any of it. If its 'so important' to keep NSW alive, how do the people using ASW fare with their already dead and sterile water? I think its benificial to use to sooner rather than later because there is life in it, but you can not keep the 'micoscopic life' alive or in ballance for more than a few hours/days (according to EVERYTHING i've read with the exception of your post). Pie

Nothing. Maybee I just have access to very clean water, but NSW left standing in my garage for 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 2 months goes in as clean and clean as the day it was collected, nothing setteled on the bottom thats for sure. That aside, as previously stated, old tank water will not speed up the cycling process, and if it was me, I would take the opertunity for the new fresh clean and crisp water. Pie

Old tank water will make no difference, its not the water thats cycling (if it was, those that use Natural Sea Water would not have to worry about it) its everything else. Pies

Sorry PC100, I must have my wires crossed. I remember someone from Auckland that ocasionaly posts on this forum having problems and for some reason thought it was you. If it wasn't you then who was it? If your reading say 'me' Pie

Of course they have lots of known predators, however few are kept in reef aquairums as they are unsuitable for the reef aquairums. We have the same problems with algae, cyno and aipstasia. Pie

Very good advice from Cookie. Diving in NZ is great, but difficult and dangerous compared to the tropics. Dive here, you will be blown away, then dive the tropics and be changed for life.

Mind littery went 'limp', still pulsed, slowly but lost all 'inflation'. Over a few days rotted and died. FYI not a hint of xenia in my tank, its all gone without a trace Pie

Aye, if there is a lesson to be learned, get them early before they can cause these problems. Good luck with the rebuild/restock I am sure you will end up with something 10x better. Pies

I had flatworms for over 12 months before deciding to treat, no signs of them doing anything but increasing in number. Infact there are threads on this fourm about my experances with the SFWE and why I dedicded to treat, something I didn't take lightly. Crashing - There is lots of info on this, and its the major reason to treat them. Eventually they strip the tank of whatever it is they eat, they crash, that is they all die. As with the treatment, when they all die, the poison the tank. this is why many treat their tanks, better for them to all die in circumstance they control, not come home and find dead fish and no flatworms. They are also unsightly. I think there is a relationship between algae/cyno and the worms. Just a gut feeling. Piezola

Steve is right, HOWEVER i've used it at different intervals, 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months etc. Never noticed a difference. I just keep it in the garage in the jerry cans. Not saying what I have done is right, but it is what I have done. Pie

Moonlight photo looks good, I will try and take some photos of mine with the moon lights on too. Good work. Pie

Not sure, I know PC100 had fish loss after using it which he attributed to lots of dieing worms. I've read similar things online, but mostly success stories. I have treated on 2 seperate ocasions, and both times they have eventually come back. I have none in my display tank, but lots in my sump. As soon as I can get some water, I am going to nuke em. Interesting comment on hair algae, I have noticed similar things, like I had heaps of cyno, killed the flatworms and it disapeared. Coninsodince? I thought so, maybee not. Maybee the presence of the flatworms does something to the tank? Pie

Angelfish - I am not sure if thats true (or if its true its in-accurate). If you do a 50% water change, it takes about 18 50% water changes to reduce nitrates from 20ppm down to under 1ppm. As with what Layton said, if your accumulating nitrates your tank hasn't cycled yet (in which case use your normal water change cycle) or you are over feeding/over stocking your tank. My tanks running 0 nitrates (0 reading from Salifert that is). Pie

I have used the Salifert Flatworm Exit without issue. It does work, as stated by reef, follow the instructions. Its reef safe, HOWEVER its the dieing flatworms that cuase the problems, not the medication.\ As for fish, i've had wrassee, mandarin, scooter blenny etc all 'rumoured' to eat them, personally I think its a bunch of popycock. Pies