Warren

The ribbed hose goes under the trade name 'Beta-Flex' at electrical wholesalers...

I take it you're putting the 160 x 80 surface against another flat surface with the thin edge connecting to the front and back glass. If silicone is put between the 160 x 80 surface it will take at least 4 weeks to cure. Does your tank have a full length strip front and back about 100mm wide? This is the best method to strengthen any tank. It gives the front to back braces something to really stick to.

They are a very cheap alternative to all glass tanks. The total cost to build the tank was $1800. It took a few favours and a heap of DIY but it's a fairly realistic price that anyone could achieve. Of course, smaller tanks would be much cheaper, - especially when you consider the main cost was the front glass at $1000.

Yes and yes, it's totally sealed and ok for marines. It has a steel frame. The ply is 2 x 19mm laminated with polyester resin and chopstrand fibreglass over the top. The fibreglass goes right to the top and wraps around the steel for extra leak protection. Its very strong - after all it hold 3000kg of water... No good for marine's however as it would require 2 or 3 x 1kW MH's. Would cost far to much to run in power... It would probably use nearly what it cost to build in power each year!

Here's the link to the one I made, yeah, I know everones seen it before... http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewto ... k&start=15

As Dark says, it could be a lack of light. Plants at the substrate level usually only get about half the light energy at the water surface (depending on tank depth). You may need more light. I've noticed the plants near the substrate in my planted tank struggle a little once my lights get about a year old. A change of lights and they are off again. You need a lot more light for a planted tank than you need just for fish. What lights have you got and how big is the tank?

Thats right! I was in the red jersey...

Yes, made it home safely. I was a bit worried about the tree's falling on me. There are some pretty big pines along the road out the back of Levin. I had to wait for 20 minutes twice while the Fire Brigade cleared away fallen trees. Was pretty worried about one coming down on the car while driving. There was a massive tree across the road on the Pahiatua track (about 2m diameter). It must have fallen down during the day as it wasn't there on the way down. It had been cut off at both sides of the road and was quite unusual to drive through the gap, - not the normal sort of thing you expect to see beside the road. It was an excellent visit however. I got to meet most of the people at the bbq. It seemed like a great turnout from the club. I know a lot of larger clubs that don't get that many people turn up to similar events. Awesome going guy's.

Yes, but not many.

Discus are fine anywhere between 24'C and 32'C. It is a major misconception that discus need warmer temperatures. In the wild they only see 30-32'C for a short time over summer. That drops to 24'C or lower during the rainy season when it floods. I've been keeping my discus at temperatures from 25-27'C for years now with no problems. They still breed like made. Also, their lifespan is increased at cooler temperatures. So, 25-27'C is the perfect temperature to keep the plants and fish happy. To properly assess why your plants are not growing you will need to supply more information. You'll need this info: Phosphate Level (ppm) Nitrate Level (ppm) Iron Content (ppm) Type of lights (including wattage and colour temperature) Size of Tank (dimensions, not litres) Type of filter(s) Temperature Your local fish shop should be able do the water tests for Phosphate, Nitrate and Iron. Once you have these details we can start to figure out why...

Val is only being assessed at present. If it is classed as a problem plant and becomes banned then it will be illegal to keep it. Hopefully the study will prove it is not invasive so we can keep it. It would be a great loss if it does get banned. Fortunately the people carrying out the study are very sensitive to how important it is to the NZ Aquarium hobby and will only ban it as a last resort. Here's hoping for a positive outcome...

What about birds?

I'm not sure if the ban is temporary or not. I know Val is currently being assessed for invasive risk. It's already established itself in several waterways in the Auckland and Waikato region. Whether is was purposely introduced by someone or accidental is unknown. However, if it can survice in NZ waterways and out-compete NZ Natives it will be classed as a problem plant. It goes to show the importance of being responsible with anything you remove from your tank. Aquatic plants and fish (live or dead) should never be flushed or dispossed of in a manner that could see them end up in our waterways.

If the dot algae is the only type you are getting then thats really good. If it takes about 3 weeks for the dots to show up it means you've got a pretty healthy tank with virtually no excess of algae producing nutrients. I get the same dots. I find if I clean the glass before the dots start to show (about once a week), the algae is removed before it hardens into the dots. It's a lot more stubborn if left until visible.

Is see you are shouting. That's what I usually do to my Fluval as well, - useless thing!

Already am!

That looks like a pretty deep tank (not height). Just how big is it. It's very impressive, getting marine urge's...

Hi Alan, It wasn't the flash that did it, it was the 2kW flood lamp forming part of the flash unit that caused the crack. The 2kW lamp was leaning on the glass. It would be possible for the glass to be heated hot enough to cause problems if very intense light (like Metal Halide) was put very close to the glass surface. If only one side of a fairly wide glass pane was heated by the lamp it only takes about a 55'C difference to make the glass break. The heating causes uneven expansion of one side of the pane. This sets up internal stresses in the glass. Once the stress force exceeds the tensile strength of the glass it breaks.

Hi Mark, whats your tank dimensions? All you need to do to calculate the correct thickness of starlight glass is its minimum tensile strength. You use this value in the glass thickness calculator instead of the one thats there now. The glass manufacturer will know the details.

Mine have always taken 1-2 months. I stick the java fern where I want it (on a rock or wood) and lay a couple of acid cleaned lead strips across it. As soon as the plant is stuck the lead is removed so the tank looks as natural as possible.

Yeah Alan, I'm a northie and I reckon the South Island is great!

Hi TeeCee, Can't see you pics. Looks like the link is for your logon session. Logoff and go back to your pictures and post that link. Cheers

Welcome and thanks for the positive comments.

Mmmm cheesecake, I'll be there!

They will also get fat and grow very fast.