tHEcONCH

Don't forget, this one is for sale...

Look at the first pic - about 7cm?

Yarp - it was going to be my RSM sump, before I decided to sell the RSM.

Yea, I'll add a blue Tonga mushie or something at some stage - its been running a couple of months now - just need a fish. Then I can grow bored with it and sell it off http://www.hailea.com/E-hailea/product-1/FA400.htm The ones here are FA400B - 2 x 8Watt tubes.

:lol:

2 x T5 - 16 huge watts of power. (one white and one blue) 8) I know that the Candy Cane will survive under 9 watts at that height.

I recently came across the Hailea FA400 tank which is really a freshwater tank with saltwater pretensions - it comes with a blue T5 tube alondside a white one! Although it is clearly limited in what it will support, I saw a little potential in it and have modified it into something that might actually work, for a cost less than $500 (although there are always optional upgrades). It is a basic curved glass tank with a false back wall a-la RSM. Unlike the RSM (or maybe like the RSM) there is no room for a good skimmer, so this setup will only work with light stocking, regular testing, and religious water changes. Here is what I did: Step 1) Cut a small overflow in the back of the tank and block the lower intake with a piece of plastic. Step 2) Remove some of the stock sponge and refit with a bag of charcoal and 100watt heater Step 3) (optional) Replace the stock 380litre/hour pump with an Eheim Compact 1000 (it will just fit if you flex the rear wall forward) and drill the spray bar with a few extra random holes to create more random currents. I've also drilled a couple of small holes on the back that bounce water off the back wall. Step 4) Build rockwork from coral rubble using Aqua-Kneadit. The goal is to have rockwork that is aesthetically pleasing in itself - you won't be hiding it under lots of coral, so it has to look good to your eye 'naked'. I've made a little cave suitable for a firefish etc, and tried to create little platforms a few centimetres below the surface so that the corals I have used receive as much light as possible Step 5) Fill, add a handful of live sand, and let the tank run in. Random bugs will appear Step 6) Add herbivores (snails, little starfish etc etc, or in my case a Sea Bunny) and a few corals that you know will tolerate relatively dim light high up on the rockwork Step 7) In a week or two, I will add a fish - probably a Bangaii Cardinal. Basic cost: Tank $149.90 Heater $64.90 Charcoal and Bag $28.90 Coral Rubble $28.00 Coral Sand $24.90 AquaKneadIT $14.90 Salt $39.90 Total $351.40 leaving about $150 for stock, enough for a fish or two, or a fish and a shrimp etc. Optional upgrades: Eheim Compact 1000 $79.90 Pro Salt (contains calcium) + $40.00 Purigen $34.90 Anyway, cheap enough to give marine a crack provided that you realise that this is the bare bones minimum to keep some basic low-light corals, a small fish and perhaps a shrimp or something - no more - and that you will need to do regular water changes. Have fun

A couple of shots of my seemingly very happy Acan: Hows this for polyp extension! All of the small red polyps on the back / right are new growth (purists please ignore the scunge on the rock :oops: )

I think I like this guy already! Do you wear a french maid outfit when you are cleaning the tank?

Yep.

Lurktastic! I think he should definitely join

Wait a day or two and I'll post up details of an 18" or thereabouts set-up you could do for about $500 - its basic, but if you are disciplined it will work.

Probably not a good environment for a marine tank!

You might not be able to get into it now, but don't give up on it altogether. Work hard, and they'll come a time when you can afford one.

FYI SFBB = San Francisco Bay Brineshrimp - they are smaller than some other species of brineshrimp.

The main difference is not having to buy corals, but the tank requirements are broadly similar anyway, perhaps with the exception of lighting. The main reason people keep fish-only tanks is so that the can keep fish that would otherwise eat corals - it isn't really a budget option.

No. Dixon, there is really no way to short-cut with marine. You have to buy the right equipment first time around. As fish-unit says, an RSM is about the minimum you will need. Converting freshwater tanks costs about the same, so if you are looking to get into marine you will need about $1000 per foot.

Yes and no - they are OK for a couple of small fish, but that is about it - no corals etc.

I've PM'd him and asked him to order some from Aquanet.

I've got dibbs on the first two

:lol:

Yea, as soon as I can find a new home for my big Oscar. The Bangaii are for my little tank for my work Desk.

Or 2? For my latest project 'tHEcONCH's SeaBunny and Bangaii Cardinal Extroadinairium'?

Bottle size is irrelivant - its still 4%, i.e, 4 parts in every hundred regardless of how many parts are in the bottle. 4% in a 250ml bottle is still the same concentration as 4% in a 1 litre bottle. Maybe we need him to clarify what he means by 'concentration is 4%' before we can go much further.

Ha, fast edit huh? In answer to your original post, Yes, diluted to 4%, which is what the above calculation assumes. If it was undiluted, he'd just use 20mg in a 200 litre tank to get 0.1mg/litre (20 devided by 200)