Pies

Ohhh and if your counting 'our' connection as in work, 1000mbs via citylink. 8mb, pffftt.

If you feed your anemone directly, it alters its feeding habbits and becoming more aggressive (from reading on RC/UR etc). I have 2 anemones, 1 hasn't been fed in over 12 months, the other has never been fed in over 9 months. Both are stull surviving. Lots of people have shown the if you feed the anemone meaty food (lance fish etc) it is more likley to activly seek that type of food in the furture. Not sure if its true, but its what I am going on. I have 2 anemones and my bi-colour is still alive. Pie

Big computer small tank

Pics?

Athlon64(90nm Winchestor), 2GB DDR400 RAM, 10K RAPTOR SATA HDD x3 (RAID), 6800Ultra video, 1000bastT network, 2mb xDSL, WinXP64. I know which machine I would rather own BTW you don't want to buy some 3.6 Xenon Processors do you? We may be able to working something out. I also have some HP 1GB ECC DDR modules for sale (4x). All brand new. Pieuter

Thats a number you told me, I didn't make it up came straight from you. You told me you had taken insurance out for your tank for 60k, if thats untrue its you not remeber what you told me (lie) not me making it up. As for it going up everytime I write a post? Find me another post where I mention the cost of your tank. As for 15 cataphillas being imported, I know you have brought in more than that. Hell i've killed one myself (check the posts on this site, and photos). Infact I have unpacked more catiphillas than 15 myself at your own facility. Massive big ones and small ones. 15 have been imported, its A LOT more than that, have seen it myself. Jumping up and down. I am not jumping up and down, you seem to be the one whos all agitated and getting all catty. The only point I am trying to get accross is that this particular coral (catiphilla) is mostly doomed and its doomed long before it gets into any of our own tanks. Its documented, phototgraphed and curretly being studied. As for reading the book. The book is old, the information on Erics forums on RC are much newer and present far more information. I can read correctly and thought that people who didn't know about the problems with this species should find out whats happening with them. As for me writing a list about what should be banned and what shouldn't. Well personally I think the only things that should exist on a 'banned list' is something with a less than 10% chance of survival. So if that means 100 copper bands have been brought in and only 3 are alive, then yes, BAN THEM. I know this isn't good for your business so its obvious why you have a different point of view. This is what I am trying to do, if you would stop bitching and stop and read the information I am posting you would understand where I am comming from. Read the Eric Boruneman Catiphillia Project on RC. I can assure everyone there is more information there than 'add reef complete' (do you sell Reef Complete by any chance Alois?). Remember I have no commercial interest in any of this. Ultimatly I am one of your customers, maybee your should listen to what I am saying insted of poking me and everyone else with a stick. Pie

Dan - Thats the whole point I guess The dollar drives these people, nothing more. If they can sell it, they will, and if it dies, hey sell them something else...

Just remember that the problem with a elegeance coral is not the target tank, its a problem with the coral itself. There are theorys about what causes it, but the bottom line is they die, and nothing, no amount of Reef Complete or tank conditions are going to help. I agree, bring in EVERYthing and let people take their chances. HOWEVER bringing in diseased/damaged stock is wrong, and unfortunitaly these corals fall into this category. IRAL Read what I wrote. I am happy for them to inspect my tank and paramaters prior to purchaing the corals, ensuring everything is A-OK before hand (there are stores overseas that demand to site a tank and test it prior to selling stock to a customer). It is pathetic to think just because it dies its the fault of the tank it dies in. I would concede that this is problably the most likley cause, however in the case of the cataplilla it is dieing based on the condition it was sold to me in. So just because it dies in my tank its my fault, I don't accept that (particulary in the case of this coral). Personally I would rather see plastic plants and bubble chests that dieing corals and fish that have a 1 in 10 chance of survival past 6 weeks. Pie

The work continues. A BIG thanks to Suphew who has been invaluable in the tank endevors. He has helped out a heap over the last few days and helped me get everything I need done. Thanks mate. Here is a look at the in tank closed loops. The 2 on the right are the intakes, the 2 on the left are the outputs. The holes in the intakes are more heavly drilled in the bottom to encourage gunk from the sand surface back into circulation. The 'spray bars' are drilled to prove differet angles of water but most of them point slightly down to help stir the water around the sandbed up and stop deadspots. This was a very scientific exercise. Suphew and I used one of the Ehiem pumps in a bucket and tried several different designs and positions for holes until we came up with whats pictured here. We got wet, and it was funny, but quite interesting playing with different size holes etc. We also got the return plumbing and feed holes drilled through the floor! What a nasty job this turned into. Suphew got the hole drilled here to within .5mm of perfection, not bad and spot on. So progress is looking good. I need to do the reef-rack system, which will sit on top of the pipes pictured above. Then glue some plumbing together. Which I hope to finish tommotow. Then I have one more beam to put into the floor, which I will also try and do tommorow. Then I am ready for water! W00t! So expect to see some photos of the tank 'wet' within the next week. The plan is to move all of the rock from the sumps into the tank asap, then just leave it and concentrate on the rockwork on the left (The bommie) before thinking about the right. I have 3 sumps full of rock I would like to shut down, make some more room in my garage and save me paying power and lighting on tanks I can't even see! The bommie will hold the anemone, which is home to a few clownfish. Other than that, if I can hold off on adding any other fish to the tank this year I will. I really want to let the coral take hold and get my 'pods' going nuts in the big tank. So the reef downstairs will be fed via a gravity above tank 1400 litre refugium! hehehehe. Piemania

ummm nah man its the computer

Hehehehe yeah, must be my faster computer

PetPlanet - You don't understand. Its got nothing to do with the bulbs blowing. Its the fact that the bulbs loose their intenseitiy after 6-9 months. Same as metal halides. I have no doubt they won't blow, thats not the point, its the usefull life span. Take a new bulb, and one you have been running for 6 months. The difference is obvious. Its the same with Halies, I have NEVER had one blow, but I still replace them. Don't belive me? Get online and have a read, its very well documented with light meters and all the science. THERE IS NOTHING SPECIAL ABOUT T5s. To say it again incase you missed it. They are just simple fluro tubes. The extra light output is from the 'gull wing' reflectors and from the diamater of the bulbes, smaller tubes means you can fit more under you hood in the same space, this is where they gain their advantage. Reef - they are brighter because they are stronger, not because they are special. Ever noticed how a 400 watt metal halide is brighter than a 150? Maybee the 400watt bulb is just special, but I suspect the answer is a little more obvious. As for keeping SPS corals under T5s. Look on UR, dozens of people on there running SPS tanks on T8s. Maybee they are special T8s... It may sound like I am against T5s, but remember I own them, and they are better than T8 fluros. But not by much. And they are far from special. Pie

Gonna jump on this one sorry Alois. Maybee you should email Eric Bourneman and tell him the problem with the mass death of almost every imported catiphillia coral can be solved with some reef soultion. No amount of Reef Soultion is going save these corals. To continue with my same quote. Alois, you can keep most coral/fish? I don't belive this but that aside, you have said that your tank owes you over $60,000.00, probably more. If you and your tank can't keep em alive what chance to the rest of us have? Sorry to jump on you Al, but your talking a bunch of woddle there. I agree with the fact that we should be able to try fish/croal thats hard, but there is hard and there is doomed. Like I stated before, they are not allowed into Europe because of there poor survival rates. As for reefs suffering from far worse than 'ornimental fish trade', I agree with this to a degree. But I have dived in several places in Malysia and Thiland first hand where fish and coral are caught and some of it is very sick. Don't so niaeve (ni eve) to think that its not doing some damage, because you are. All the worse when you are distroying nature to take something you know has less than a 10% chance of survival once its reached it destination. Here is a challenge for the shops/importers: I will let you test my water / routine etc before I buy a coral or fish from you. You are free to test any time from that point on, we need to be confident my tank condidtions aren't going to be at fault. When I buy a fish/coral you will go into an agreement with me. If it survives I will agree to pay again what it cost me (thanks for ensuring its survival), if it dies, you will refund my money and replace it until I get one that lives. If a system like this was in place lets see how many catiphillias or cleaner wrasses come in or a for sale. I have never done it, but I wounder what the consumer garantees act would have to say about selling a consumer something with a 10% or less survival rate? If I sold cars and only 1 in 10 worked i'd be on Fairgo/Target in an instant. Infact if I sold cat or dogs and only 1 in 10 survived i'd be in hot water. Pie

I use T5s. Although they are a good option, as easier and cheaper than NO fluros there are some untruths about them. Bulb life is the biggest dissapointment. Expect to chance the bulbs ever 6-9 months. I know they claim zillions of hours of bubls life, but the consensious is 9 months max for the aquirums. There is nothing special about T5s, they are just smaller diamater fluros. My 5 footers are 84 watt, so a better option the VHO fluros, which use physically bigger tubes. My new tank will use MHs and I am not sure if I will use the T5s or not. I may just leave them off and use NO fluros for some blue. Pies

Fay - You should read the Eric Bourneman articles on Reefcentral.com about these corals. Basically he is doing a worldwide study of the survival rate of these corals in captivity. The results are not encouraging. Infact stastically there was little chance at all of it surviving. You should return the coral, quote your rights as a consumer and demand your money back, showing the LFS the articles on how the chances of keeping corals is so slim. He sold you a lemon, another example of a how most lfs support the hobby... As reef sais they need to be fed and do survive better in a lower skimmed tank. But thats not what killed you coral, it was propably dead long before you got it, NOTHING you could have done would have saved it and there is nothing wrong with your tank. According to the articles it takes months for these corals to starve, and it is considered an medium-easy coral to keep, once its establised itself. Reef - Interesting you think the survival rate is 75%+, according to Erics Articles and studys the survival rate past 6 weeks is less than 15% and he belives its actually a lot lower than that. Pie

Reef - So yours and 4 others are alive. How many have you brought in? Whats the survival rate? 50%? 25%? 75%? Anyone else in here got one? I have only ever seen one, and thats in Reefs tank. Pies

How do we know what was said was breaking the rules? Maybee the 'moderators' removed it for their own comercial interests? I guess we will never know. Pies

So did you buy a house in the end? Is it in wall or free standing? Good healthy size for sure. Its funny that now my new tank is in, it really doesn't look that big at all, even though its twice the size of my last tank. Knock out the wall and go bigger Pie

Is it fighting with the Sohal? Nice fish. Whats this about a new tank? When? How big? Plans? Photos? Pie

Its not feeding, its bloated and dieing. Pie

Thats a stunner. 4 foot is not a lot of real estate to do anything flash but that looks awesome, a huge improvement. Tank looks awesome, more pics? Pie

Thanks guys, will look into it. Would be keen to keep the costs under $500.00. Pieman

Well as the plumbing progress's I am getting closer to adding water. Suphew and I will be making and glueing the spray bars this weekend, with the use of his drill press. I hope to have all the plumbing finished this weekend. So then I can consider adding some water and rock, and getting out of the sump. Also want a nice healthy population of copepods and mysidds in there before I consider adding fish. Although the temptation to not have fish is still niggling at me. So its onto operation 'lite lifta' (thx Suphew). The light lifter project is very much in the 'conceptual' stage at the moment. I would like to suspect the light hood/light holder beem from the ceiling. Nothing special about that. But I am seriously considering putting an electric winch/pully system on there, so I can raise and lower the lights without having to touch anything other than a button. This should make access to the tank easire and make everything look so much nicer. Anyone seen anything like this before? Anyone got any links? Anyone know where I can get a small electric winch type system from? Thoughts? Pie

I use 4 canister filters ib my 4ft bow front. The water is cristal clear and alage is minimal to none. Lots of filteration is benificial. I have LOTS of fish, way over stocked. The 2217? big boy from Ehiem is a great piece of kit, why not use 2-3 of these, or 4x 404s or similar. When we setup our new freshwater (custom 4 foot) we will use 4 canisters. Less maintenace, better water quality. L shape tanks can look awesome, can't wait to see it. Peter from Port Nicholson does an awesome job, anyone who has seen my new tank and cabinet from him will know what I mean. You can also try a sump or DIY filter. 60L barrel, couple of tank inlets and a big eniem pump. I am VERY tempted to try this for the freshwater too. Load it with filter wool and bioballs/siporex/ceramic noodles. Infact I think I am talking myself into it Pie

I do nothing with mine, and it looks crisp and clean. I attribute this to have high flow. I do get some corraline growing on the larger particles of shell etc in the bed. My sand is 'crushed coral sand' from brooklands. Pie