Warren

You can add extra batteries to increase the backup time but the UPS has to be designed for it. Most cheap UPS don't have an external battery connection as they are designed with undersized components. Just as all the components are getting really hot and about to blow up (well, a bit before that) the battery goes flat. If extra batteries are added the UPS will die. If you spend a bit extra on your UPS and get one rated for continuous battery operation you can add extra batts... I've got 400 Amp Hours on my UPS with a discharge rate of 10A max I'll get at least 40 hours. UPS cost $750 for a 2kVA Dual Conversion and I got the 24 x 100AH batteries from work for free (old stock being dumped). Most UPS batteries will handle at least 30 full discharge cycles before they need replacing. They aren't designed like wet cells which can handle 100's.

Nope, but I'd call Novus, - the same thing really. Patching a tank is fine as long as its small and repairing a chip, not a crack. It won't weaken it and its the quickest and cheapest method to repair it.

Some inferior activated carbons release nitrate when added to the tank...

Ranges from approx 5-10ppm.

Definately not. It's some kind of tetra but can't find an exact match in the limited books I've got. Looks a bit like a Pristela but its a bit too orange.

Jeez, too fast Cees. Didn't even get a chance on this one!!

Yes

Try Animates too, they used to get it in quite regularly though not cheap...

Anything displacing water in a tank does not reduce the pressure. It is not the quantity of water in a tank, it's the height. Height directly relates to pressure. So a tank that's 2200 long and 700 tall needs the same front and back glass thickness if it has 100L or 2000L of water in it if the water level is the same. The only difference is the 2000L tank will be 20x wider.

Do you have MS Excel? If so, just use the glass thickness calculator on the top right corner of the page (just click on the link). It takes all the hard work out of it...

It's the standard storter Val that's in Nelson... Don't know exactly where but its definately there...

The people who are doing the study actually have doctorates and certainly are not idiots (quite the opposite actually). The reason it is being assessed is due to it having been released by some irresponsible people into the local New Zealand waterways where it is surviving (Auckland and Nelson areas). If people were a bit more responsible about disposal and/or purposely introducing plants and fish into our waterways we wouldn't lose them from what we are allowed to keep. It's only fair to lose a plant if it can establish itself and out-compete our native plants...

Geez Alan you make me laugh.

Cool, email to me and I'll add it to the technical articles section too (just like the glass calculator).

See my reply in your other post. Your tank will break if the glass thickness is the size you mention.

The nitrate level will not keep on rising indefinitely. As long as there are regular water changes done it will settle out at an ultimate value. In the case mentioned above, at 1ppm per day with weekly 20% water changes, the nitrate level will settle out at approx 30ppm after a water change rising to approx 37ppm just before the next change. It will take 20 water changes at least before this level is reached. eg 30+7 =37, 37*0.8 = 29.6 (approx 30) and repeats from here. Haven't read the article yet but if its incorrect or just unclear, an amendment could easily be added in the next AW. I'll even volunteer to write it!!

If the tank is truly made out of only 6mm glass it will break if you fill it up any more. At 3/4 full its amazing it hasn't broken already. A commercial (public) tank this size would use glass 20mm thick. You could probably get away with 15mm for a home tank. Go to the articles section of the site and look up the glass thickness calculator. It will help you work out what glass you should use and give you safety factors on existing tanks. I'd empty the tank and take it to bits. You could remake it at 500mm tall and it would be ok, but at 950mm it will definitely break. If you don't believe me, just fill it right up, I can guarantee it will break before it's full.

Also, look here http://www.fnzas.org.nz/clubs.0.html for the full list of all clubs and club contacts.

Sodium thiosulphate is easy to get. I've got 25kg's sitting in my shed. It's available from most industrial chemical suppliers. Prime is available from Hollywoods. They take credit card orders over the phone and will courier no worries. Your LFS will have access to it as well but they will have to order it in specially.

If you find the need to polish the water you can use Seachem's Purigen instead of activated carbon. It's not cheap to buy but unlike activated carbon, Purigen can be easily regenerated for many uses. Mine is 5 years old and Ive regenerated it at least 50 times. It seems to leave all the trace elements alone and keeps the tank looking really white and polished. It will cost about 5x the price of activated carbon but considering the number of regens, it works out overall at 1/10th the price long term. Instead of using Prime as Seachem recommends to neutralise the chlorine from the regen process, you need only add about 1/2 a teaspoon of sodium thiosulphate crystals to the equivalent amount of water to get the same result. It is much cheaper than using Prime.

With lots of plants and good lighting, CO2 injection will give you a higher level of O2 than just airation. It's possible to get the water over-saturated with O2 so it actually gases off the surface of the tank!

Algae doesn't come from anywhere specific. It doesn't appear in your tank because it has been introduced. Algae is caused by an imbalance only. Find the cause of the imbalance and the algae will go away all by itself. It will most likely be too high phospahte and/or nitrate levels. Even if these levels are correct, too little macro nutrients and too ittle or too much trace elements will cause algae. The macro nutrients, trace elements and light have to be in the correct proportions to have the plants out-compete the algae. Read the Sears-Conlin report mentioned earlier. It has many valuable insights. Finding the balance that suits your tank is the key. Understanding exactly what causes algae and how to control it will set you on the correct path to an algae free tank...

Keep in mind that more light will not fix the problem if there are other factors as well. When it comes to plants all factors have to be right. Any one will cause a problem. More light will likely reduce the brown algae but will not help the plants if the fertiliser balance is out. All you will then get is algae.

About 30000L (7.5m x 2.4m x 1.8m) but it would cost too much to run...

Master Trade is a Wholesale/Retail Electrical and Plumbing store.