Cricketman

:rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :nfs: /Shrimp BTW

Looks more like a sheet than a filiment to my eye. :dunno: Agree with Blueether that it looks just like dry biofilm... Maybe some sort of coating on the pipework that is coming away, after having softened in the water for a while? a filter sock (read:pantyhose) on the output would soon let you know... Whatever it is, I doubt that it would be too harmful, but just scoop out all that you can, do a few W/C, stiring up the stuff... Scoop Change Combo! YAAAY... :thup: :slfg:

Java fern has always done better under low-light conditions for me, and died off when it got too intense... :dunno:

Im 6'3 and around 115kg, BMI says that I'm obese... Dare anyone to say it to my face... :digH: :slfg: The way your clothes feel and the way that you feel (energy, mood etc) is a much better gauge. Oh, and ladies, there are few men that actually find the "stick-look" attractive... Curves are where it is at! :thup: :lol:

I am astounded that they actually seem to have taken it on board... Must of reached the "right" people... EDIT: Actually, why the hell are they stocking them in the first place???

This, in my personal experience of their stores, is codswallop, especially when it comes to fish (there are a few stores that have experienced fishos running the show, but is exception, not the norm) and they think of them as they would a bag of kibble, a stock asset, rather than a living thing... The fact that they have no idea about the freshwater mussels, and the problems associated with them, that could be found in 0.58seconds in a Google search really shows the level of care and understanding for species they keep... :digH: Would be interesting to see if you hear anything more from this... or if they stop stocking them...

yes you can add A FEW SMALL HARDY fish, (such as neons/ guppies/ molly) so long as you do - Water changes: aim for 20% change twice a week, more if you feel up to it for the first month, then weekly 20% changes should see you right as long as the bio-load remains the same. Mini-cycles happen every time you change a aspect of your tank, whether it is adding more fish, or cleaning part of the filter, increased w/c's at these times will help curb the possible spikes. I don't believe in magic potions that claim to do all the work for you, only water conditioner to remove chlorine and its by-products... There is more to water chemistry than the nitrogen cycle, and I like to imagine a water change as opening a window in a stagnant room that's been locked up for a few days with animals in it... Then again, some will say that I'm just old-school, but, I know what works for me, and what costs the least... Patience is a virtue....

BAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!! :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

"growth (progress) for the sake of growth, is the philosophy of the cancer cell" Just saying, There more than removing nitrate to keeping a healthy, stable longevitous marine tank, sometimes the simplest solution is the best...

Fixd. :rotf:

Not when you live <5k from NSW :slfg: I've never found anything that is better than NSW + couple nutrient top-ups... What $$$ are people parting with for this? :dunno: I dunno, interesting concept, but I don't think it a game changer... not unless you've got the Pingers burning a hole in your pocket...in which case, pay someone to do your W/C's :rotf:

I can't say I've seen or researched much about them, just rather keep to what I know works as a proven system, which is fairly simple to comprehend for a beginner, or those that don't understand Nitrogen Chemistry... EDIT: KK, bit of research done, someone care to explain how an Anaerobic environ can be created, while still feeding through tank water (which will be oxygenated)? seems to be a oxymoron to me... EDIT EDIT: KK I understand the basics now... So it stands beside a biological reactor that does the NH3/4+ to NO3/NO2, then removes the NO2... Water changes seem cheaper and easier... the read-through on the setup of them seems pretty hit/miss, and unstable... W/C has added benifit of removing everything and anything that is in the water... not just NO2...

1st: NITRate, NITRite... NITROGEN based compounds. 2nd: Why re-invent the wheel? 3rd: DSB is useful in saltwater tanks for a number of reasons. Freshwater? I'm not familiar with any proven results/effects that a DSB will provide... A Biological Nitrate Reactor = Canister filter...

:facepalm: It's going to be one of those days... :sml2:

Google photos of Ich and compare to the spot you're talking about. It may be a cyst if it on both sides? :dunno: Photos are good too, especially if you can catch the fish in question for a 2 second photo shoot...

Interesting indeed... :spop:

Info like that helpful... I didn't know the context... :cofn:

Hey, I'm just repeating what I was told when I got both my Aquaculture qualifications... If it were free-running water, in a trickle-tower type setup or similar, not in an enclosed box, You'd be right, as the water would drain away from inside the sponge as more came onto it, and you could control the drop of the water right into the pad. as you point out, this is when the pad is new and clean, as it fills with crap, you'll get more and more skeeting around the edge... In a pressurized canister, the whole pad, and everything around it, is already full of water, the force the pump is creating to pull the water through will cause the flow to run around the edges of the pad, rather than through it...

The problem with that, is that the water will always find the easiest route, which would be around the pads, rather than through them, which is really what you want for filtration...of course... just monitor it, if you get blocking problems, reduce to one layer of foam or change out for a less dense foam pads...

There are only 2 places in NZ where Zostera sp. grows completely submerged, and no one knows why these 2 beds are different to any other. Tidal tank is easy enough, did it for my Aquaculture paper. 40gal drum, pump on timer, siphon slowly drains tank to a point that can be controlled by the height of the siphon (careful here not to over-fill your drum!!) pump turns on and puts it all back into tank. Advise an air-stone to keep the water in drum circulated. This works, but can take some finesse to get working 100%.

Could always be a localised mutation too... extra fin ray, like uncle billy-bob's extra toe...

Part of the permit is where do you intend to source the specimens... Pays to know someone with natives to go through it with you...

Really hard to see with those photos... There are a number of gobies, triple-fins, and blennies that inhabit the harbour, and differentiating them is a bug-bear even with good stock photo's and the specimen in front of you...

Useful tool for short periods of time (~month) , for a specific purpose (examples mentioned above). Other than that, don't bother. Arguements about carbon "leeching" rage on, my experiences lead me (and other experienced fisho's) to believe that it DOES leech, though others will fervently deny this. There are papers and scientific reports on both sides too... Regardless, the use of carbon is probably best kept to a short time frame, especially for purpose of chemical removal...