peet

Hi Joe, didn't you hear that white is the new black..... I wanted to do something a bit different and love the minimalist look of white and stainless steel. Given the hassle painting was I don't think I would change it even if black did look better Hi Artem, I'll find out from Siak whether he used pressurised, good point though about the CO2..... that would be a lot of excel if he was putting in a cap-full every day or so as reccomended by the manufacturer.

Hi All, check out the new interview with Siak Wee Yeo from little green corner on the Lumersion website. Also, I've been madly working on my new 4ft cabinet and its starting to take shape . As you can see, my wifes already adopted it as a plant and picture stand. Keep you posted You'll also note that I have taken off the plant guide section of the website. FNZAS has a brilliant plant guide for NZ available plants so its pointless doubling up. The guide section will now be reserved for mine and others DIY projects. Cheers - Peet

Lay the newspaper on the ground and get it wet enough that it's damp but not so wet that it falls apart when you fold it. I lay the plants on top and then fold the newspaper around them, then double bag them with ziplock bags.. and I even then seal the final bag with packing tape as another precaution. Put them in an envelope and pray it doesn't leak all over the couriers other mail

Great to hear Balansae is easily available and thanks for the offer. I'll definately catch up with you when I get closer to completing the project. Picking up the timber this weekend if the rain holds off long enough for me to get it home in the trailer.......

Hi Steve.... well ummmm I haven't really thought to hard yet about your questions. My preliminary answers are as follows: / What sort of filtration turnover are you going for? Not sure... I've heard amano has very slow turnover in his tanks, I previously had about 1000 L/hr I think in my tank, which is about 3x turnover per hour....this was supposed to prevent BGA by keeping the water always moving... it didnt help though. I dont think I'll bother with a DIY cannister this time so budget will be the constraining factor in the size of the filter... might have to go for 2x smaller ones 2/ We have a serious lack of substate options here, which product are you leaning towards? I used DIY in my last tank and it worked phenomenally... red laterite clay was easy to get hold of in oz.... mind you I have seen some nice looking red topsoil/clay just south of Auckland which might be high in iron and great for growing plants.... I also have something pretty unique up my sleeve which I am hoping to try...but you'll have to keep your eye on my post for more on that 3/ Any ideas on your plant shopping list yet?well, definately some crypts because I just love the jungle look (definately include balansae if I can find it), probably glosso as has been a dream of mine since I laid eyes on my first amano tank, mosses and fern on the branches, limnophila aromatica if its available, lotus,.... I still need to think about this a bit more, but that I'm leaving for dreaming whilst I watch the paint dry on the stand 4/ The inline heater.... I've been looking for a good deal for a while but have been unable to find one, could you please pm me if you find one? I saw a great DIY article somewhere on the web where the guy used pvc pipe with solvent end cap on one end and screw cap on the other... I think they were 50mm pipe....the standard glass heaters were pushed through the PVC end caps using o-ring uni seals which prevented water escaping.. water flowed from the pump through the pvc unit and on into the tank..... I'll be putting some sketches on the site once I have had a bit more of a think about it.. joy of this way is that you dont see the ugly heater in the tank (

Check out Stage 1 of my minimalist 4ft tank stand journal. Hope you guys like it.

I am imagining something along the lines of these scapes, http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2010.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=2&id=92 http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2010.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=3&id=90 http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2010.cgi?&op=showcase&category=0&vol=3&id=51 Probably discus + black neons or some other fairly low key tetras... I have some nice sand, drift wood and rocks..... Tank stand will be minimalistic white, 2x 150 watt MHs on stainless steel or brushed aluminium supports. Bought a spray gun and compressor and will hopefully start on the cabinet next weekend. Is a winter project and will start a new post on this forum once I have started the cabinet, will also update lumersion site. Its been a long time coming and am getting very excited about it.

Hi all.... check out the lastest interview with Jason Baliban... he's a legend in the aquascape hobby and has some pearls of wisdom to share www.lumersion.co.nz

Hey Fordayzbro, I still hope to get the website moving, unfortunately my wife was diagnosed with a very serious illness and I have had to put Lumersion and many other things on the back burner.... BUT I have some very exciting opportunities coming for planted aquariums in NZ with the potential for glassware, tools,CO2 and ferts at very reasoable prices... At the moment I am thinking that it will not be a classic online shop but rather more like a group buying arrangement.... I'm not into aquascaping for quick money but I do want to see NZ scapers have access to decent and reasonably priced equipment. I also have a new interview with Jason Baliban which will hopefully be online in the next week or two. The site is going to be a slow labour of love.... but it will get there eventually. Regards - Peet

I've kept balansae before on a high iron clay sub-base with gravel topping and they grew like wildfire. The definately don't like the transplant and the long leaves get mushy and tranclucent but be patient. You only need a few long leaves to come out and it looks very dramatic.

Ultra Clear + has replaced starphire........ Optiwhite is still available but both products are the same thing (very clear glass without the green tinge) but made by different manufacturers

I threw this question to a mate who works for a glass factory and heres his answer: "Yeah, we sell Ultra Clear + which has just replaced Starphire and Optiwhite is our competitors version of really clear glass" So I guess the answer is yes, you can get it here in NZ, and that there are also other options out there i.e. Ultra Clear + Cheers - Peet

I havn't used T5, but I had 2x 150w MH over my 4.5ft tank and combined with CO2 the plants grew like they were on steroids. As phoenix44 says, the ripples make the cost of running all worth it. I used shop fittings off trademe and even used the 4000 K bulbs... was a little bit yellow but I off-set that by running a couple of daylight standard flouros.

I have a connection with international plant growers, HOWEVER... as you will be aware, MAF is quite strict on plant importation and this is an issue that needs working through. Look forward to updating again in a month or so

HI Guys, I've been trying to keep low key as didn't want to misuse the forum. But I just wanted to clarify the shop component of the Lumersion site. We are currently negotiating with a number of manufacturers/wholesalers for products but it is unlikely that the shop will open for another 2 -3 months. We are planning to supply quality plants, aquascape tools, CO2 gear, substrate, ferts... The kind of aquascape (freshwater planted) specific equipment most standard pet stores don't stock. Thanks for your patience, Regards - Peet

Hi All, I am really proud to announce the launch of http://www.lumersion.co.nz, New Zealands first dedicated aquascape site. The site will be published in a blog like fashion so will take some time to build the content. I would love to hear your feedback and comments, and hope that you will visit regularly (and contribute) so that we can see aquascaping takeoff in NZ. You can contact me at info at lumersion dot co dot nz or direct from the website. I believe the site will be a great compliment to FNZAS and am very gratefull for the fantastic forum they provide to hobbyists. Heres to the future of aquascaping in NZ Regards - Peet Moodie

Would it be easier to get shrimp imported from Ozzy??? I have contacts in aquarium trade there who have said they might be willing to export to NZ but havn't bothered so far due to MAF strictness......

O M G Morcs - those discus tetras are stunning.... I didn't even know such a tetra existed..... Unfortunately some quick research shows that theyre just like silver dollars and eat plants. Oh why can't you get a deep bodied silver fish that leaves plants alone (and please don't suggest hatchets... theyre so boring the way they hover at the surface).... I'll just have to stick to rainbows I guess

I am definately keen to get hold of some. Just getting ready to setup some tanks so probably a couple of months away. Will keep on contact.... regards Peet

Ahhhh I love that plant. I used to grow it in my tank in aussy. It needs a good iron clay base media and CO2. I have halides over my tank which I think it really appreaciated as grew like wildfire. Is called aromatica cause crushing the stems or leaves produces quite a nice spicey smell. It would be fantastic if someone here in NZ had some to share/sell. Heres a link to the tank: http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showthread.php?t=5018&page=3&highlight=peeet with some aromatica shots.

There is a post on the krib about ss CO2, but the guys from swedem so difficult to make out what he was saying. Ive done some looking around for 2nd hand fire extinguishers. What so different about the ss fitting john that you cant make your own intermediate coupling between the ss and an ordinary regulator, also where do people pich up there needle valves from.

I know Ive asked this question before but im always interested in new ideas. I have spent a bit of time trying to DIY CO2 with SodaStream. now before anybody runs out and rips there SS apart a WARNING: CO2 is under very high pressure and is very corrosive so be careful. I was running an SS into a hotwater bottle with a sealed lid, it had an inlet from the bottle and an outlet into the cannister filter return. it had one way valves to stop siphoning or the gas escaping and ajustable valves into the return to regulate flow out of the hotwater bottle. I simply inflated the hotwater bottle every morning before uni, placed a rock ontop let it bubble into the tank. The joy of the system was that it costs $9 for a refill, and I only filled it once in 4 months (had to shut the system down due to move of house) Problems were that the pressure in the hotwater bottle changed so much over the day that it was impossible to accurately set the outlet valve. The corrosive CO2 seriously weakend the hotwater bottle but as under a very low pressure was no threat of explosion. I probably had an excess of C02. Im still keen to try another method, found out that there is portable MIG welders out there that use SS bottles as there CO2 store. I think that these must have a regulator and valve, Does anybody know what these cost, the cost of normal reg for CO2. What about other ideas like the water bottle for cheap CO2. ie some kind of bike pump spring pressurerizer???? Peet

You are absolutely right Pegasus, DIY is sooooooo rewarding. Ive sometimes over spent or "wasted' time on projects but Id much rather fiddle than let someone else have all the fun and get allthe money. I was not intending to try and complicate peoples lives, but as a an engineering graduate I find the maths behind nature captivating. In fact Im not even that fussed about keeping the fish themselves (but I do luv them), more interested in creating an ecosystem that functions in a completely unnatural environment (ie a glass tank) mmmmm hydraulic maths, can't wait till the next project!!!!!!!!! (what about a new background after reading that awsome polystyrene b-ground post) Peet

Dont want to sound like a kook but Pi(r^2) is the same as Pi(D^2)/4 because if r = D/2 then r^2 = D^2/4 mmm well catch ya later

Hey guys, I been searchin and have found the maths for the pipe diameter of a siphon. Use v = (2gh)^0.5 in m/s where v = velocity of water at the siphon exit g = gravity = 9.81 m/s^2 h = the difference in height between the tank water level and the sump Now A = Q/v Where A = x-sectional area of pipe (m^2) Q = flowrate of return pump (m^3/s) NB must change from l/hr Now using A = (Pi)(D^2)/4 rearrange to find D Where D is the diameter (m) Very simple, so for a 1000 l/hr pump with a height of 1.4m between the tank level and sump needs a pipe of diamter +/- 9mm diameter. By the way warren, is the W/D filter being used on that HUGE (8ft) discus tank of yours? 5000 l/hr , how many WATT pump is that.