Warren

I know, thats why my tank looks so good on video too! 8)

A good foodmix using beefheart should only contain a maximum of 50% beefheart. The rest should contain a balance of shrimp, fish, veges and fruit. Other foods should also be used.

Great idea, never would have thought of it!

Great tanks and ponds guy's. They're as good as the entries we get for the FNZAS video competition. Best you all video your tanks and send the entires in this year... I'll be very disappointed if I don't see lots of entries this year from Marlborough. Caryl, that's the best I've seen your tank look, it's great!

I agree. The reason I haven't set up a marine tank yet is due to not being able to do it properly. If it's not done right it will fail and put you off. The cost is high to set it up and if it all dies its a big waste of money. Do it once and do it right or you'll regret doing it at all.

Cool 8)

I really just meant a place to put all the gismo's. Heaters, skimmer, calcium reactor etc. It's sort of a filter / sump. What about mechanical filtration - is it required. You certainly need it on freshwater tanks.

Well, I've now got a spare 700L 6 footer available so its semi-realistic... Will definately consider it. It will have to wait until after Fiji however. $ will be tight until then. If I go for it, I'll at least be able to fill it up with seawater and get filters / sumps going... Skimmer later, as there would be no stock to start with.

Cool Colours guy's. Nearly as flash as my Discus!!! (Yeah Right). 8) Mmmm, marine tank....

No worries, I'll net some HB sunshine and tow it on down... I'll come to the BBQ if you like. It's just a bit easier to visit on weekends. Consider it booked.

I remember when it was one of the most impressive shops in NZ...

Does Kapi-Mana want an official FNZAS visit on the 21st at the BBQ or maybe on the Club meeting night instead?

Hmmm... Looks like Mid Cant in summer. 8)

If there is oily muck at the tank surface it can be easily siphoned off. If you get a gravel cleaner and turn it upside down with the end partly out of the water it will suck in the oily scum. You have to constantly adjust the height and hold it at an angle but it works great. Is easier than buckets.

Hi Dark, Man have you opened a can of worms. Let me warm up by referencing you to my article on how to calculate the glass thickness. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/glassthickness.0.html Even this article states you can use a lower safety margin (thinner glass) at your own risk. In most cases the design comes down to personal preference combined with a lack of engineering knowledge. Many of the tanks and stands available today are the result of what you can get away with, not necessarily what is the best design. It’s simple statistical logistics based around cost – out of how many tanks this size with this size glass and this type of stand break. If the answer is 1 in 20 in the first 12 months it may be acceptable to a manufacturer. They build a cheaper tank and stand and it breaks just out of warranty. The glass in many tanks I’ve seen only has about 20% over the breaking tensile strength (based of the minimum tensile strength for glass). Most have at least 50% margin but it still not enough if you go off the glass manufacturers recommendation (which happens to be 380%). Many stands are designed in countries where earthquakes aren’t a problem. NZ manufacturers then copy these as a proven design. If they only knew… There is no one answer due to the vast range of preferences of people. Some want wood, some want steel and some want real cheap mate. A set of rules could easily be generated to design a tank of any size, shape and material with bracing to suit easy top access (hardly any good having side access!!). The rules would be quite extensive to cope with the large number of differing requirements. It would take a lot of work and you’d end up with a small book. The approach I took when designing the 3m tank I made about a year ago was purely engineering based with cost strongly in mind. I worked out the loading on every member of the steel frame, plywood sheet and glass panel. Even then the tank would have flexed in a decent earthquake but shouldn’t have broken. You can only rely on well-proven engineering techniques and build in suitable safety margins. Here’s the tank: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewto ... k&start=15 Specs: Overall Size 3000mm(L) x 1000mm(W) x 1265mm (T) Glass Size: 2850mm x 950mm x 19mm Effective Volume: 2875L Weight: 565kg (Empty) All the drawings were done in Acad and there were pages of calcs. It took about 3 months to design before I even started ordering the steel. I already had the glass and 19mm plywood. I was surprised to discover 2 layers of ply were required. I probably would have got away with 1 layer but the calcs said 2. There was a 2mm bend in the ply when the tank was full!

It sure does. The FNZAS Capitation fee is only $5.00 and is included in a local club membership fee. It costs $21.80 a year to produce 4 Aquarium Worlds + you get a Yearbook and all the other FNZAS services (this website, breeding scheme etc). The total cost is much higher so you get a lot for your 5 bucks. We only charge the cost of the Aquarium World with no mark-up to non-members cause we're really cool guy's. 8)

Rob's filter floss idea should work pretty good. You could also use a pleated cartridge filter - like on a pool or spa pool. I use these and my tanks don't have any visible suspended particles. You'll need and external filter with a pump on it. You may also need an extra booster pump to help overcome the pressure drop. They work really well as prefilters on a trickle filter. I clean mine once a week and have never had to clean the main filter in 8 years. I periodically check it but so far it hasn't needed cleaning.

A T5 is brighter because it's smaller than a T8 and has more watts. The really important thing to compare is lumens per watt. I bet T5's and T8's have virtually identical lumens per watt. If so then T8's are better because they are cheaper and don't run as hot. The cooler the tube runs the longer it will last.

Aha

Is the top of the second cylinder sealed? If so, air pressure will stop the water level rising as high as it could.

I wouldn't go that far Alan!

Mine beg all the time even though they only get fed once a day. Obviously some fish just don't or won't learn. Is it possible fish can actually hope?

Hey, I'm pretty well refined. It's just a pity that not many other people think so too... 8) Great effort Rob.

Well, at least you could get yours through the door! I had to take the lounge window out to move mine... With the setup you've go, it nice to know you've got a good solid base to rest it on. It's one less thing to have to worry about. 8)

Is it suspended particles in the water?