Cyberfin

Yes-Phosphate remover. Cut back your lighting; have them turn on one hour later, turn off one hour earlier.

You could make it into a cichlid tank, choosing from varieties that don't grow as large as an Oscar but with a similar nature. You could create the specific conditions found in one particular African lake or mimic African or South American rivers to accommodate fish found there naturally. I saw a South American cichlid tank containing mainly Blue's and Yellow's but other varieties were there, too. There was around 12 fish, all about 10cm (exl tail) in a tank around 80-100ltrs. Pretty crowded but was running with an external canister filter capable of filtering a much larger tank. Looked great

Unfortunately, I have already arranged the tank. Got a bargan on an open top 6x2x2 with a lip that will obscure the light from the MH's suspended above. I can see how this will reduce my aqua-scaping options but the cost of the tank made it an offer I couldn't refuse....I hope I don't regret it.

I would like to achieve viewing from both front and back. One end will be against a wall. I've been doing some research and will run a sump with an algae refugium on reverse timing. The tank dose not come the a stand so I'm getting an industrial, key-lock bench which should allow me alot of space underneath. I'm thinking of two live rock 'islands' and, if I can construct it, an arch between the two. Minimal substrate, 1-2cm. I have metal halide lights, pH controller (no CO2 yet), Red Sea protien skimmer about 1m high, which will probably be best hidden if squeezed between the tank and wall. I would like to run a calcium reactor and maybe a wave maker if it doesn't tax how far I can fill the tank. I would prefer an inlet drilled into each side, though I can live with two situated on the rear. I'm only at the planning stage so I'm wide open to any suggestions :roll:

I will be getting a 6"x2"x2" tank and I'm trying to find a site that provides schematic drawings/plans for various set-up configurations which illustrate the positioning of equipment/drilled holes. There is plenty of information in the form of pictures of cluttered setups but i'm looking for simple lay-out plans/options. Would greatly appreciate any suggestions. Cheers

Thanks Jude, Caper, Mustcooktea. Caper; Other than the Oranda(s), I have Kribs, Angles, BN catfish, cory's, livebearers, Paradise fish. Was looking after a couple of Oscar's and a huge plec for a while but had to give them back to their rightful owners :-( If I do go marine - which is a matter of 'when' rather than 'if' then I'll cut back on tropicals....(pause for thought)..., though I would like a cichlid tank at some point. I take it you have a fish or two?

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think I've found what I'm looking for now. Have a goodie Simon

Thats great, Guy's. Hopefully, Mystic can shed some light on what in the world the P could possibly stand for. :roll:

Hi. It's late and my brain isn't working properly so I'm spending longer trying to work out abbreviations. Anyone new to the forum will quickly see what I mean. Some do not take long to work out, given the context it appears in eg- IMO the best filtration is no filtration. The 'IMO' is In MY Opinion (disregard the rest of the statement). MTS = multiple tank syndrone. OTOH (I spent an embarrasing amount of time on this one) =on the other hand. If anyone reading this has uses abbs in their online diologue, or you know the meaning of what's 'out there' list it here for those of us too stupid to go to bed when they should :lol:

I've been checking out manufacturers websites and get the impression that, for reef aquarium use, a 4-stage unit is the way to go. The units I've been looking at are listed as producing between 25-35 GPD. Estimating currency conversion and freight, it will cost somewhere between NZ$400-450. I've been searching for anything available in NZ but most I find are 2-stage units, a couple of 3-stagers but none with a price or any mention of reef tank benefits. Which brings me to a couple of questions I have.... -Does anyone feel the extra $ towards a 4-stage unit is money well spent? -Are there any reasonably priced units available in NZ? I'm sold on the idea of having one, just want to strike a good cost/efficiency balance. Any thoughts?

I mean, Caryl :oops:

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. I think I'll be here for the long haul. I will look into Dunedins fish club - thanks Carol

OK Sounds good. Will pick it up and fix it in a week or two. Soon after I will be initiated as a 'salty' :bounce:

Hey thanks everyone. The glass is at least 10mm thick and because it isn't particularly tall, I think the crack came from poor support rather than a lack of strength. So I will 'patch' it up with another piece. I don't suppose I would need 10mm glass to patch this up as the glass underneath should support it ok, provided it's level of course. Does anyone have any recommendations regarding the thickness of the glass I should use?

Hi all. I've been keeping fish for a couple of years now and currently have 6 tanks. I never intended to have that many....in fact, it is only now dawning on me....Holy s**t, I have 6 tanks - well, one is a quarentine tank so that doesn't count. It probably always starts out in the same way; get a tank, keep some fish, soon deside its too small so buy another one. Learn of some other varieties that can't be kept with what you have so buy another tank. Later decide that 100l just isn't enough so up-grade...etc, etc. I have 5 tropical tanks but, funnily enough my largest tank is cold. Have 10 oranda. Smallest about 10cm, largest is a beautiful blue, he's 15+. Trying (unsuccessfully) to get my male and female siamese fighter to breed. He is nice mix of dark blue/red and constantly making bubble nests. She is cobalt blue and showing stripes that will be verticle one day, horizontal the next. Whenever I release her, she takes a beating until I remove her to recoup. One day they might get it on. Another tank has breeding angles (varied success). Another with a pair of kribs with kids in tow. The other tanks have the usual suspects. I'm currently building a multi-tank system sharing a large sump with a UV sterilizer so my tanks will number in the boudle figures soon and still I can't stop thinking about 'what's next' ....and it ain't gonna be small...I'm gonna go salty. I think I need to just do it and get it out of my system. Especially now that I've found such a good on-line community for support and info etc. I have found fishkeeping to be relatively easy...no, thats not the right word...I have found fishkeeping to be relatively problem free, so long as good regular 'housekeeping' is followed. My cat 'Herman' looooooves to watch the fish. He drinks from the tank but never tries to hook any out. Well, not while I'm around he doesn't. Anyway, this is probably meant to be a short thing so I've failed miserably there. Take care all. I'm looking forward to our future interactions. Simon

I was going to post a request for help re: dying guppy's. My problem isn't females though: It seems my males are the ones who don't want to live. Sounds like I'm doing ok if I have healty females. Having read this thread, I now keep a closer eye on the fry and cull all with a defoarmity once identified. Let's get this little fish back on track.

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Are they neon tetras? All most all tetra found at the LFS are easy-going community fish. You could try a few Danios - they generally like the upper regions. A couple of Bronze/peppered/albino cory for some activity on the substrate. Other tetras and/or live bearers will diversify your tank, they're cheap and your LFS will have them. I quite like Harlequin and Rummy Nose Tetra, Guppys and Platys add colour. You might already know this but be sure to find out the adult size of any fish you get so you don't end up over stocked. And only add 3-4 at a time each week until your happy with your numbers; less bio load on your filter.

Interesting. I can get untold amounts of syringes from a vet (urban not rural). They are the same as what you would find in a chemist; mls marked on the sleeve. I assume you boil them first, then place them in the bio-media space of filter, then pop in a couple of fish in the tank and see what happens? I can't imagine there would be a problem but then I don't know what is used to indicate mls on the syringe. I'll try to find out

Hi all. I can get my hands on a huge glass tank (2000x100x80cm). It is very cheap because there is a hum-dinger of a crack running across the base. I had a go at cutting the silicone at one end but it still seems firmly set in place just wondering if anyone had any tips. Cheers

You could ask around for a place that stocks Dexion - lengths of right-angle steel. You just cut the lengths you require ( or have it cut) and assemble it with nuts and bolts. Its a bit like that Mechano stuff that kids played with before lego came along. Can be a bit pricey brand new as alot is colour finished but if your lucky a wreakers yard may have a whole heap lying around somewhere going dirt cheap. And its strong. Cut lengths of Marine Ply for base. Waaaaaaay beter than MDF

I was at mitre 10 Mega asking about the sheets of poly they have. $14 a sheet for 25mm. I noticed sheets 50mm thick also but don't know the price. They are big though - 2 meters square and bigger

I'm currently doing exactly what you're about to do - Multiple tanks sharing a common sump filter with UV. Even powerful powerheads for aquarium use aren't strong enough to pump more than a trickle to that height but some of the laguana pond pumps can. I can't remember the exact modle number but I will find out for you tomorrow. Definiately a good idea to have a hole drilled in the bottom of each tank for an overflow. The whole system can be powered by one consistent pump instead of multiple pumps whos flow rates may begin to vary over time. I still havn't decided on a UV filter. Many out there are designed for pond use so they are primarily designed to eliminate algae. Although, hypothetically, they will kill pathogens, the specs simply state 'kills algae' - no mention of 'kills other nasties'. So best to confirm with whomever you get it from that it will definately kill pathogens. Generally, the stronger the UV light, the more bugs it kills. Having said that, I think you will only require a relatively small one. Having too fast a flow through it reduces its effectiveness. If the water flow is too fast, instead of placing the UV 'in-line', you could have it drawing water from the sump, processing it, then returning it to the sump again. I'll hopefully be finding out more about what's available tomorrow. Have you had any recommended to you?

I haven't noticed any higher rate of deformity than the odd one or two that nature would produce anyway. Might become an issue after a few more generations maybe but I've never tested the theory. I think they're a bit like mice; if they find an mature member of the opposite sex, then all criteria are met.

Hi there. Regarding packaging. Would a squirt of 'cycle' or 'stress-zyme' etc into the transit bag help slow rising waste levels? And re: packing plants... if they are in a partially inflated plastic bag, the air will cushion them from being crushed. No water except what is on the plant when removed from tank, as sloshing water can damage. If the bag is sealed properly it will remain relatively humid within. Just a couple of thoughts. Cheers :lol: