camnbron

Check this link out!!!

I find the Xtalreef hitchhiker FAQ page to be handy in ID'ing stuff. My advice if it is bubble algae is manual removal of them. If possible remove the affected piece of live rock into another container of tank water and "ping" the bubble algae off with a little flathead screwdriver. Then when you are happy you have removed them return the live rock to the tank. If you can't remove the live rock, then you can do it in tank. "Ping" them off, trying not to pop them and pick them out as the float around. Hope that helps

Here is some useful information about mandarins.Breeding the Green Mandarin I might have to get a breeders basket and try and catch my mandarin now!!

PROFILUX IS UP AND RUNNING I Spent this morning setting up the profilux system. I found it to be very user friendly, I had a little drama setting up the WLan card - forgot my network was secure, so profilux wasn't allowed to connect. I have already used up my 6 outlets Profilux now controls: 2x Tunze nano 6055's 2x Tunze nano 6025's T5s 2x MHs Zeovit Reactor Heater I'm thinking I might need to invest in another powerbar Then I could control: Cooling fan skimmer Sump light.

I had my CF1200 on the community tank in the bedroom. Did have a hum to it, but nothing that kept me or my wife awake at night.

I vote CF1200. Aquaone had an issue with the isolation valves leaking out the valve stem a year or so ago. But apart from that I have found them to be pretty bulletproof. Good filter, good price. Found it to not to rattle or be poorly made.

I had a durso setup with no backup, but now have a full syphon with a durso as a backup. I only have one hole in the bottom of the wier chamber, so my syphon is a 19mm hose that goes up over the back from within the Weir chamber. The full syphon has a ball valve on the sump end of the hose to restrict its flow. The idea is to have around 90-95% of the flow going throug the full syphon. It cuts down on noise, and the durso doesn't have to be "tuned" as its just the backup. You know when the syphon has failed - noisy as! For both overflows I would recommend putting a strainer on them to reduce any chance of them getting blocked

Yup thats I've got a couple of those LED strips over my tank. If you can, I would recommend you make a reflector for them to utilise all the light.

For me, I removed the rock from the tank and into a bucket of tank water, then picked them off using a small screwdriver. Gave the rock a slosh and returned it to the tank.

Thats the problem with photos on the interweb. IMO pictures start to look cheesy when they are fiddled with. This one is not as bad as others around, at least it doesn't look like the corals and fish have been cut and pasted!

Come on guys! I know you want one! R2-D2

Absolutley no idea! I'm trying to find that article I metioned about the bumps, but this is the overview from the Marineebreeders website.

AWESOME!! Those are some monster SPS colonies! What wicked blues and greens.

:roll: Puttputt, the "good point" was that there are other lighting methods other than Metal halides. There are different ways of aquascaping display tanks, there probably are alot of tanks that have acros on the bottom, but going by the fact FMXMatt is transfering his existing tank stock, its not going to be a SPS dominant tank - so will be on different levels. This subject is about FMXMatts tank build. Its good that you are happy with your tank, if it was my tank, I'd be pretty chuffed too. Can you post some new pics on your tank in your subject: Puttputts new tank Ta. FMXMatt, have a look on the MASA forum in Australia. There are a number of knowledgable members there that use T5s for their lighting. You have to join to read the posts but thats no biggie heres a link to start you off: T5 Q&A discussion thread What a number of them do is have a mix of different tubes, individual reflectors and stagger the replacement of their tubes. Have you had any thoughts about what you will do with your sump?

Good point TM, haven't seen many display tanks with Acros on the bottom of the tank. Normally people put their corals on different levels of the rock in the tank to suit the corals. I've seen pictures of frag tanks that had Acros on the bottom, but then they were not very deep and were using T5's.

I found the CF1200 good. I had it on a 240L community tank. They are nice and easy to work with. Only issue I had was a leaking isolation valve - but that was a batch issue and the place I bought it off sent replacement ones for free.

Hi there, There are a couple of people in the Nelson/Blenheim area that have marine tanks on the forum. Post up some pics and stuff in the saltwater sectio and they should crawl out of the woodwork!

If you had a sump you could just plonk them in there at lights out and then grab them out in the morning. But then, since your current setup has no sump (roll on upgrade!), I would suggest getting up early in the morning and grabbing some then. Or you could organise a CHCH reefkeepers meeting at your house for 1 evening. Then whoever wants some could pick them up before going after you have got some out. PARTY AT FMXMATTS HOUSE!!!!

Hardware update: I have ordered a profilux Plus II system with W/LAN card included in the order is a 6way plug bar and 2 tunze nano 6055's This still leaves me 2 more expansion slots in the controller for any additions in the future. But since santa is delivering my present early this year that would have to wait until 2009! Profilux will be able to take care of my lighting, flow, temperature, top-up water and PH. If I get really keen I will be able to moniter and control the system via the internet (which should be a bit of a giggle when I'm at work on my nightshifts, and my wife is in the livingroom!) :lol: Lights go on. Pumps speed up. Lights go off. Pumps slow down. Lights go on. Lights go off. :lol:

OK time for an update. I've been running the Zeovit system for 2 months now, so when I finally get some more SPS my system will be ready. Live stock wise I have: Yellow eye kole tang Bristletooth tang (I mistakenly thought this was a mimic tang) - had a few minor scuffles between the 2 (same shape), but happy as larry now Bicolour blennie - seems to be growing out of his orange? 2 Percula clowns (hosting my return outlet) 1 Firefish (spends 80% of its time in its bolthole) Male blue Mandarin Orange spotted prawn goby (unfortunately we can't get the sybiotic relationship going as blind shrimp not on MAF list) 2 Fireshrimp Rose Bubbletip anenome Blue Maxima clam Corals are a mixture different Soft, LPS, and SPS with a few grouped colonies of Zoas and mushrooms Non-benaficial algae has markedly reduced over the past few months - this has been a mixture of manual removal and water quality improvement (IMO)

It depends. Sometimes there are some really good deals around in the second hand market. Like for example there were two setups in the bay of plenty region going for about 1/3 of the cost on trademe a few weeks ago. Unfortunately people who have an existing tank don't want to buy another complete one and most people wanting to get into the hobby don't realise that they were good prices. But then, buying second hand means no warrenty, and takes some of the fun away. IMO - you are effectively just maintaining what somebody else has setup by buying second hand. Starting frm scratch - its all you.

Heres a link for employers about travel allowances. EMA Link Its written in fairly plain english, I would suggest raising the subject with your employer, bringing all relevant information with you. If the company you work at has a group of people who have a collective contract and the scope of work you do is covered in the collective then for the first month you would be covered by the relevant collective that has the largest number of people doing the same or similar work. If you choose not to join the union that is covered by the collective then after 1 month you are freeriding on the back of the union. You effectively have a similar individual contract that the union has had to bargain for without paying union fees. Not a very nice thing to do to your workmates - IMO

Its a common occurance for them to not host in anenomes, sometimes they host in or around other things like FMXMatts ones in their hammer corals, sometimes around sump returns like mine do. As long as they are eating food and look like they are fairly happy, don't worry. There is a view that tank bred clowns since they have been raised in a barren tank, have no idea what predators are so quite happily swim around in the open - kind of makes sense to me. Another view out there is that clowns will only host the type of anenome that their parents hosted - this makes no sense to me as clowns (especially "nemos") host a wide variety of things. Some people have tried a number of things to encourage their clowns to host things: 1. Showing them a picture of other clowns hosting an anenome 2. Netting them and shoving them into the anenome 3. Removing the clowns and the anenome and putting in a small quarantine tank Other people have had their clowns host straight away no problems - me I'm still waiting after 5 months, but each to their own.

Sounds like someone from here needs to go and work at MAF - specialising in the importation of Freshwater and Marine species :bounce: Go on, hands up who wants to quit their current job and go do that job. Who's going to "take the bullet" so to speak! Bags not me

Yup its a good way to pass the time. 2.4M is going to be a pretty good size tank! I see you are thinking Tropical community - any ideas?