Warren

Usually the magnets are plastic coated so are ok. Sometimes they leak a bit and the magnet rusts. This usually isn't too much of a problem in FW but will be very bad in Saltwater. Get the highest quality pump you can afford. It is after the lifeline for your marine tank (well one of them). The Eheim is an excellent pump. You don't get something good for nothing...

I setup a denitrator on my freshwater tank many years ago. It did reduce the nitrate to some degree but wasn't as effective as I'd hoped. They are quite tricky to setup. You need a large surface area of media in a semi-sealed box. The water has to pass through slowly enough so anaerobic areas are formed but not so slowly that the water goes bad. If too much media is in the water path efficiency is lost. Too little and no anaerobic area forms. Since media is expensive it pays to spend the time getting it right. I used Siporax and purchase 20L of the pond stuff from Jansen’s. It was housed in a glass tank above the aquarium and connected to the main filter system. A very small flow was diverted to the denitrator with a tap to control the flow. Over a 12 month period I experimented with different flow rates to see where it was most effective. It takes about 6 weeks to show the effect of a flow change. With a denitrator running at good efficiency its possible to keep the nitrates in freshwater between 15-30ppm. I eventually gave up on the denitrator idea and focussed on what was causing the nitrates. I found the tank was regularly getting to 100ppm nitrate. After a water change it would drop to about 25ppm (75% water change). 3-4 days later, back up at 100ppm. Eventually I tracked it down to a very high organic load in my tapwater. I went and purchased a RO unit to purify my tap water. Have been using RO water now for over 6 years. It requires conditioning before adding to the tank but now my nitrates measure <10ppm (the plants probably help a lot too). Denitrators are probably best left to marine tanks where a live plenum can be created.

Hey Ira, if you're going to use a pond-pump make sure it has absolutely no metal in contact with the water. Some grades of stainless steel are ok but most aren't.

Hi Bill, I should think by now everyone would know me enough so that humour can be used without question. I was after all quoting a fairly well know line from the 'Light and Tasty' add. Hi Caryl, My oldest tank (the 8 foot one - yes that one) is 22 years, never been reglued. It shows no signs of letting go either.

Jut use one with dual processors??!! 8)

Yah, just hit 600 posts, well 601 now, I see you just hit 200 Alan

We're all still learning Alan... Anyone who professes to know everything about something has a very small mind.

Are we allowed to disagree on this point Warren? No, go away. The polystyrene underneath level the tank to the base. Zzzzzt, wrong. The polystyrene under a tank does nothing to level the tank to the base. All it does is stop high points like grit or screw heads from cracking the tank bottom. I can show you all the calculations if you like on N/mm² and the compression properties of polystyrene under the weight of a tank, ie solid engineering principals... The new glass is not a patch. It is the new bottom of the tank, ie the same size as the original bottom. This will over double the strength of the bottom of the tank except in the area near the crack. It is a lot more difficult put a new bottom on the inside of a tank, especially if there is already internal bracing. A small patch may work on the inside of the tank but will set up larger stresses in the area near the crack which may cause further cracking in the future. The only way to effect a long-term cure is to replace the bottom glass outright or use a full-size patch on the bottom. In time the glue just peels off of the base glass The glue peels off because the surface wasn't prepared properly. A clean surface has no problems. Lets face it, if there were problems then no tank would hold together for any length of time. I learned from my wicked ways. Maybe you should curb your wicked ways... 8)

Hey Alan, The glass has to go on the outside otherwise the force from the sides of the tank will not be transferred properly. Also there is serious risk that the bottom will not be level if the crack has moved a bit. Turn the tank upside down. Silicone needs to be evenly zigzagged across the entire bottom with and extra squirt down the crack. The glass must be really clean first. The new glass is placed on top and moved in a circular pattern under its own weight to even out the high points in the silicone. Once the silicone has fully cured, turn the tank back up the right way. Clean the area along the crack thoroughly. Squirt silicone along the crack to seal the tank. Now you will have a repaired tank with a flat bottom and effectively sealed.

The part of the stem plant that goes into the gravel needs the leaves removed or they will rot too. You don't want to remove all the leaf however. If you allow about 50mm of stem to hold the plant in the gravel it is about right. Get some scissors and cut the leaves off close to the stem but leave short stubs behind. This helps anchor the plant and stop it pulling out. 50mm like this is usually enough.

What are the exact dimensions of the tank. The weight can be fairly closely calculated from its volume. I've got a 680L 6-foot tank. It used to sit in the corner of the lounge against two outside walls. This puts 50% of the weight almost directly onto the foundation. I added one extra pile under the house on the corner unsupported by the foundation to support the other 50%. Your landlord will most probably be ok with adding a pile or two. They usually don't mind as you are strengthening the floor. Its more responsible than trying it and finding out the floor breaks followed by the tank falling over and breaking, wetting the carpet which then shrinks... My 680L tank weighs about 1100kg including the stand. As far as the log goes, you'll probably need to soak it to get it to sink. Its always good practice to soak it elsewhere to check if it is ok. If it starts to rot don't use it. It can take 2-3 months for a log to sink. I've never boiled any logs found at the beach (the best place to find them). I go to a beach near a big river mouth. Check which way the natural current flows in the sea so you go to the right side of the river mouth (more logs that side). I've always just give the log a really good clean with a wire brush, picked of any loose bark and tossed it into a barrel until it sank. Once sunk it can be checked for rotting bits. Once it stops leaking brown tannins it's ready for your tank.

Volcanic rock is usually very hard and the rock is inert. However, many volcanic rocks are very porous (pumice and scoria are examples). The fine pores can contain large quantities of toxic materials. It is always a good idea to soak the rock in fairly strong Hydrochloric Acid (>5%) for a couple of days followed by a very thorough wash. It then needs to be soaked in a weak baking soda solution to kill the acid stuck in the pores - another day. Give it a good rinse and it should be ok after that. If you are worried, put it into a spare tank and add a couple of tester fish. If all is ok for a week or two will probably be alright. Porous volcanic rocks are formed by gases blasting through the rock as it flies out of the volcano. The gases are very toxic containing many sulphur compounds, gaseous metals and heavy metals. If there are deposits inside the rock they could hurt your fish.

Most polyboxes are waterproof. I've transported fish just by part filling the polybox with water and in goes the fish. The size you use for your tinnies is perfect for most fish. If you are worried about the polybox leaking, use a bag of similar size to line it.

Yes, I thought the Redemption of Althalus was good too. The Rivan Codex is ok, it gives you a lot of insight into how the books were created. Its a great set of books, I've got them all. Oops way off topic but never mind.

In summer if you are travelling during the day its more important not to get the fish too hot. Just use a standard poly-box and they will be ok. As Alan says, double bag catfish. Just to add a bit, don't inflate the inner bag too much. Inflate the outer bag with a light pressure. If the fish punctures the inner bag it will lessen the amount of water that leaks out between the layers.

As has already been asked, how many fish and what size?

Not in my tanks, at the time I had 7% continuous water change a day. Less than 50ppm TDS at any time and most of that was the salts I'd added to the RO water to buffer it. Probably would have been great to munch.

If you put air under the undergravel plates it will fill up most of the UGF with a thin layer of air. It will eventually find its way to either a riser tube or the weakest part of the UGF where it will exit as bubbles. The problem lies with the thin layer of air trapped under the UGF. This creates a pretty good seal and can seriously restrict the waterflow into the UGF. I strongly advise against trying this, as it will kill your UGF. Almost all airpumps are noisy. I got annoyed at the noise so stuck mine under the house. It’s ok if you have a wooden floor as you can easily bore a hole through for the airline. A friend puts his in the wardrobe. The cheapest solution is usually to hide the pump from year ears.

Ok, I've only just got my PC going again. It seems no matter how much protection you apply to your machine, the kids will always eventually find a way to break it. Do not download frilly looking desktop’s from MSN... Anyway, the thread is about glass thickness so here's my bit. 1200x500x500 with the glass manufacturers recommended safety factor (3.80) is 9.31mm. If you use 6mm even if it is braced very well, the glass will only have approximately 1.579 safety margin (a far cry from the recommended 3.80). However, there are many tanks this size around made from 6mm glass. It’s a risk, if you get good glass it will probably be ok. If you get bad glass then you get a wet floor. If you drop the height to 450 the safety factor goes up over 2. It’s really your risk. You’ll probably get away with 6mm glass. Many people already have. I have many tanks 1200x500x450 and none have ever broken. I’ve never tried going 500mm tall on 6mm though. Good luck…

Excellent !! 8)

Cool, can I help setting up pages etc.

Its not possible to put too much O2 into the water. Even with massive and evenly spread o2 injection you'd wouldn't get better than about 11ppm. 9ppm is about saturated (I think, - could be out by ±1ppm - I'm writing this from memory). After 9ppm the O2 gases out of the water as it's not actually very soluable in water. One of the best ways to acheive saturation is by having lots of plants and CO2 injection. Under the right circumstances you'll get continuous gasing of O2 from the water surface. It's more likely to be lack of O2. If all the other fish look fine, I'd look for something else. Temperature maybe or maybe they are trying to hide from something during the day.

Rob is also the National Breeding Coordinator. You should join the Hamilton club, they're a great bunch.

Looks excellent. If that doen't hold it then nothing will! 8)

Looks Cool! 8)