Warren

Now why did I just know I'd get this type of response...

Me too, the ML350 would kick it's butt, despite being 64 bit and all. It's also pretty hard to argue with U320 drives that have a 256MB hardware cache. Our DSL is 8mb. Sound like the boys trying to make up for some other deficiency yet??

Don't think so, here's my specs, see if it's fast enough for you. PC: ML350 G3, Dual Xeon 3.06G, 2GB Ram, 73GB Mirrored U320 SCSI, Full Speed Jetstream Link, Windows Server 2003....

True, plants do need phosphate, but only at 20-30ppb, not 50+ times this level. Many people having trouble with algae or cyno have phosphate levels over 1ppm. Basically if phosphate shows on a comercially available test kit then there is too much phosphate. If the plants are growing well and all other macro and micro nutrients are supplied in the correct balance, phosphate then becomes the limiting factor to plant and algae growth. The plants will easily out compete algae for the free phosphate. Fish food will usually supply enough phosphate. As long as no other phosphate is added to the tank (water changes) then it is very possible to control phosphate down to the ppb (parts per billion) range. I use Reverse Osmosis water for this very reason. I can precisely control exactly what goes into the tank... Too much light will only increase algae growth if there is an imbalance. If the light level and duration is in balance with the fertiliser (nutrients) then there will be no visible algae. My planted tanks have been algae free for the last 7 years since I learned about how to control it. I keep refering to this article but it's worth the time and effort to read and understand. The principals in it are excellent and have never failed on any tank I've helped setup or fix. http://www.thekrib.com/Plants/Fertilize ... onlin.html

Female guppies normally need to be rested after having their babies. Otherwise the males will chase them so hard again they die from exhaustion...

Or my slightly slower 'Great Mind' thinking almost alike...

Good one Mark, beat me by seconds why don't you!!!

Beware of the claimed hours lifetime. While the bulb may function and have good light output for the stated time, the light spectrum may change significantly after half that time. Once critical frequencies are burned out your corals will suffer. If 2 years is the calculated life, a good rule of thumb is to replace your lamps at half that time, - every year...

Yip, but man that's a big one!!

Some of the locals here ask the fishing boats to fill up 10+ 20L containers when thay are way out to sea. They pay a small fee but it's way cheaper than salt mix. Maybe if you want good quality NSW you could try the same approach... Probably not too much problem with water 30+ km's offshore.

I agree with the 'can of worms' statement. I don't keep marines but have discus instead. Most people think they are hard to keep but for me they are not. I've only lost 2-3 discus out of 50+ in the last 10 years (other than the ones who died of old age - 2 jumped out (I now use covers) and 1 just wasted away, don't know why). However, I've yet to breed anything decent. I have not trouble getting fry, but getting them to grow like other people do is proving to be a mission. All fish and corals will behave completely different depending on the situation. Something one person finds impossible to keep is easy for someone else. I don't know why, it's just the way it seems to be...

Cyno is caused in two ways but one is most common: The most common is in new tanks where there is excess phosphates and no nitrates (since the filter isn't cycled). Cyno bacteria have the ability to fix the dissolved atmospheric nitrogen out of the water. If there are no nitrates you may be doing too many water changes or your filter may not be working properly. A good nitrate level is 5-20ppm. This will stop cyno and also reduce the chance of an algae outbreak. Also, lots of airation and water current in the tank can stop it forming even if the conditions are right for it. The other way is excess nitrates and excess phosphates. The Cyno loves this condition. Water changes will usually fix the problem but a long term solution is required to stop it happening again. You need to find out why the nitrates were so high. It's either too much food or too long between water changes. Erethromycin is only a temporary fix. While it works really well at killing the cyno, it will also kill your filter bacteria. It's an anti-bacterial. It's better to find the cause and remove it. You won't need to cycle your tank again either (which will probably cause cyno again too).

Great link. Despite regular use of this site and a couple of other computer sites I'm still not quite up to speed with some of the acronums.

Another $5K thats wot! Maybe one day I'll have one. Just now I'm too busy anyway. I can neglect my freshwater planted tanks for a while without them turning to custard. Try doing that to a reef tank... However, when I do finally go marine, I have the perfect 8 footer for the job. It's 2400(L) x 820(W) x 670(H) - about 1200L. I've seen a very nice reef setup in a tank this size at Aquariums in Paradise at Surfers Paradise. Its like a bigger version of Westy1's tank http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=4115

Cool, wish I could afford to go to a reef tank!!!

Sorry, I have no imagination... 8)

Sorry for removing your smilies. I took the whole section of posts so the thread still made as much sense as possible...

Adding CO² to a well planted tank increases the O² level to higher than possible with airation. It can be as much as 20% higher and even over saturated. At this point, O² starts gasing off into the atmosphere. You have to increase lighting and fertilisation as you increase CO². Lots of plants growing well are great for your fish. They use up most of the toxic waste products from uneaten food and fish waste and produce large quantities of O².

Yes, some posts were removed as they had content that broke the site rules.

You put yeast, sugar and water into the coke bottle. You put a hole in the cap of the bottle and take a tube into the tank. The yeast action generates CO² which bubbles into the tank. CO² is a plant's main food source. It's best if you can get the CO² into the intake of a filter so it dissovles better into the water. Some care has to be taken not to put too much CO² into the water as too much can distress or even kill fish. Between 15-40ppm is usually considered safe. I run my tank at 15-20ppm. Lots of O² bubbles on the plants and no fish troubles.

What a huge skimmer too...

Unsure, I've always machined my acrylic parts. Every time I've tried to glue without annealing it cracks. I always anneal now as acrylic isn't cheap plus it's difficult to work with and takes a long time to machine. It may also be the glue I use. I like acrifix since it's so easy to use, has excellent filling properties and gives a melted together look. Do you know what glue they use? If it's soft like silicone then yes, no need to anneal...

Maybe ask them if it work hardens the material at the same time. Would be good if there's no need to anneal afterwards.

You never know, It may just keep on going like it is now...

It's the combination of more light and fertiliser. CO2 will make more bubbles and you'll eventually get lots of them continuously coming off in streams. Sounds like you have sunlight on the tank. That will be helping a lot. When you move the tank back inside you'll need to add more light or the bubbles may stop... If the balance of light fertiliser and CO2 is out you may get lots of algae instead.