Warren

Yeah, good point. It's best to let it rain for a while before collecting the rainwater so all the muck washes away first...

It’s quite normal. My Cabomba has quite red stems on the new growth and a much darker stem than the leaves on the old growth. Having the right balance of iron, light and CO² is what makes it red.

Who's stirring wot Caryl??? 8)

Yip, Rob's onto it. The silicates can be removed quicker by adding Phos-zorb or some other Phosphate removing resin. Most Phospahte resins also remove silicates. Under no circumstances should you use a commercial algae remover. These are very hard on the plants and some fish. I know of several people who have lost fish to algae removers (including me). It also damages the plants. When a tank is new, the plants need all the help they can get. Keep the fish load low until the algae goes away, then add a few at a time. Planted tanks usually run a lower fish load. As Interfecus said, adding more plants is an option too. You could also do the next couple of water changes with rain water (if you can get some), or a mix of rain and tap water. Once things have settled small regular changes with tap water will be ok.

Yeah, well done! I wasn't implying the loaches were overweight for their size. A loach is meant to have a slight pot-belly (a bit like Thunderbird 2). Your's look totally normal.

It would only take about 5-6 tablespoons of baking soda to get a pH of 9 in a tank of that size. The limestone rock could definitely be doing it. With the readings you are getting I'd have opted for a fishless cycle. Those readings are dangerous for the fish’s health. I've always used fishless cycling and never had fish die since using them. When I first started keeping fish I lost lots due to loading the tanks up too early. I very quickly learned about fishless cycling and ever since... Also, how long has the white cloudiness been in the water? If it doesn't go away it may well be from the limestone rock.

He's getting fat!

You should have read between the lines, - thats what it says... 8)

Sorry, the house comes first, then the marine tank...

Hi Logan, I'll let you know when our next meeting is. You're welcome to attend. I'll email Bruce to let him know you'll be there. Our normal meetings are on the third Wednesday of the month at 7:30pm at the National Aquarium. I'm pretty sure the next meeting is in Feb but will let you know if it's earlier.

Great tanks guy's. I wasn't sure if anyone in NZ kept marine tanks this big and good looking. Awesome effort. I'd like to have a reef tank too (of a similar size) but it's outside my budget. I've had to settle for a similarly sized Amazon Biotope tank instead (heavily planted Discus tank). Its still great, but not quite the same as these masterpieces!

Hey Reef, I wonder how much the power costs to run that tank! I make it nearly 2kW of lighting + approx 350W of pumps. That works out to approx $130.00 a month assuming 12 hours a day on lighting and doesn't include heating (which I dare say you don't need with that much lighting). Do you run a chiller by chance?

It's normal, happens to mine always...

If you hold the test container against the cardboard box with the colours on it it will better show the sample colour. If the tube looks white (because the sample is clear) then you have 0. By holding the sample against the white background you'll get the colour match correct. If you just hold up the tube with light shining through it, it'll take on what ever colour is in the background as well.

But they'll work like a test kit in a newly setup tank...

Going up and down with the piping is no problem and it won't siphon if you put an air trap at the lower end. You have a completely sealed pipe all the way to the lower end then raise it up to the level of the higher tank. At this point you create an overflow, so yes it is a siphon till this point but then it turns into an overflow. Just an bigger version of the hang on tank overflow systems. You'd be fine using gravity if you used a fairly big pipe (60-75mm would do it). A bit of big pipe would be much cheaper and more reliable than a control system. I'll email a pdf picture to you...

Its usually best to wait 2-3 weeks to let the plants get a hold + the filter will cycle without fish to a reasonable extent. When fish are added it's then easier on them as the tank will then get a micro-cycle by comparison...

Cool! 8)

Hi Binkles, you stated your tests showed light yellow and light pink for ammonia and nitrite respectively. Both of these are not a good sign. The ammonia test should have a very faint tingle of yellow at the most and the nitrite should be clear. Both indicate borderline toxic levels. Small water changes of 10% every couple of days will help until the filters really kick in. A tank will cycle without fish as there is enough organic mater introduced to a tank when it is set up to get things going. However, the loading is very small in this circumstance so fish have to be added a few at a time a couple of weeks apart. This gives the filter time to adjust. Every time you add more fish you'll end up with a micro-cycle occurring. It will be at a fraction of the level of the initial cycle so will be safe for the fish. The plants will help as long as they are growing well. If they are sitting in stasis or dying they will not help at all. If they are dying off fairly quickly they will add to the problem. If you're going to add medications to help with whitespot, it is often best to remove all the plants during the treatment period (especially in small tanks). Plants absorb most of the medication and in most cases it damages them. If you can put them in a bucket and leave them in the sun during the day and somewhere reasonably warm at night (only in summer) they should be fine for a week or two. Keep the water level high and check the temperature doesn't get over 28'C and below about 18'C. Indirect sunlight is best. Hope this helps a bit...

Great idea putting it round the corner! When sitting down in the lounge it must give the illusion of being much bigger than it is too. It looks great. What's the dimensions and glass thickness?

Me confused! The only reason you can't use gravity is if the tank and sump are at exactly the same level. If there is a difference then gravity can be used. If you really want to use 2 pumps the is only one way if you want to do it properly. You'll need to speed control the pump that does the least work and use level sensors in both tanks. The integral of the rate of change in level difference between the tank and sump will control the flow of the pump with the lighter load. It's using a simple control (PID) loop to control the flow. You'll need to put an AC drive on one pump (yes, it can be done on single phase - especially on pumps) and have a fairly basic 2 input PID controller + 2 linear level sensors. Total cost is likely to be about $2000 (at mates rates). If the controller goes into alarm it can stop both pumps and flow valves if need be. I still think you can use gravity, especially if there is a level difference in between the tanks... 8)

I've got an idea more suited to a new fishroom setup so I doubt if it will be helpful to you. Keep all tanks as small as possible. Make a false bottom in each tank that slopes forward to a single point where the tank just happens to be drilled. Have a second drill hole in a tank wall (near the top) as an overflow. Set up a drip system so the water is constantly changed at about 10-20% per week. The excess water will overflow and go down the drain. On the second hole (in the bottom at the low corner) fit a tap with a tube leading to the same drain. All the muck will accumulate in this corner. Simply opening the tap will flush it away. If you quickly zoom round the night before using the taps and wipe the glass on each tank the muck will have settled by the following day. This speeds up the process of cleaning. Just the simple operation of x taps for a couple of seconds each and the tanks are all clean. Then you can sod-off as the tanks will auto refill an start to overflow again... Cool wot!

Oops, I stand corrected, AGM's.

Andrew, I've been to 5 conferences and 2 Killifish conferences. I've been on the exec for 5 years also. In that time I've learnt much about the FNZAS and its history. A project I'm working on has meant I've read a lot of the documentation associated with the FNZAS as well. While I don't know nearly as much as some I still believe I'm qualified to make the statements I have. I try to get my facts right before making a statement, - it saves a lot of egg on face later. I agree with the implied tone comment. I've tried to keep my comments as diplomatic as possible but haven’t always succeeded. I'll refrain from such future comments and only answer questions. I'm looking forward to everything settling down too. The information is currently being prepared for all members. Please keep in mind that a proper itinerary with exact timing and costings can only be sent once the information is available. It became available mid December and we've been working out the finer details since then. The Christmas / New Years break has made the problem worse with most travel agent being either closed or too busy to get a quote out quickly. Now is about the normal time FNZAS info packs and registration forms are sent out anyway. All FNZAS members will receive their info packs before the end of January. I've organised a local Conference in the past (Napier 2002) and know what’s involved. It is a very time consuming process and the checking and rechecking of details is vital. Its even worse now as most of the communication is internationally based and comes through travel agents adding even bigger delays. I'm sorry the information hasn't be forthcoming earlier, but please be patient for another couple of weeks and all will be revealed.