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dororke

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    Auckland, NZ
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    Marine & reef keeping

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  1. I also recently visited this tank and have to agree it is a stunner. Transparent to anyone entering the abode is any semblance of work. To the uninitiated it looks like fish in a bowl - and beautiful fish at that. All the real hard work lies beneath where a large sump, big chiller, huge skimmer, and a calcium reactor that has to be seen to believed does the work. Well not quite all the work. There is water flow to be compared with a tidal wave at work in the main tank. What I particularly enjoyed was the employment of caulerpa in the refugium. Nothing against the zeovites out there but just to show that you can achieve great success either way with nutrient dissipation. I took loads of pics for myself but none, and I guess this is just something 2D cameras can't do, really show the depth of the system. From the front the tank is wide - 2M or so; but the depth is equally impressive at another 1M giving so much extra room demanded of the large fish that adorn the display. Yes - Mr Puttputt is truly an advocate of SPS and specimens outreach (literally) the tank. The colours are vibrant and the water is crystal clear. From a personal perspective I was intrigued to see that all this was achieved with the use of NSW. I don’t want to start the debate again – it’s long harangued now, but it does confirm to me that with proper care you can sustain life with either ASW or NSW. What is still quite amazing to me is the timeframe that has elapsed to get the tank into this form. As a marine aquarist of nearly 20 years I would not have thought it possible to get a system running quite so well in such a short period of time as this – some 10 months to date since set up. I was privileged to be allowed to see this for myself first hand. Hope you guys get the chance too. More pics Mr Puttputt
  2. Well I read the thread with great interest. Then I went back to the beginning to try and remember what the subject was. The initial topic relates to collection of water at the Takapuna boat ramp but then drifted somewhat to another debate on ASW v NSW. I hope my question will be taken in the context of the original subject matter. I've been in the marine/reef hobby since 1990. The first decade was in the UK where there wasn't any debate on the collection of water from the sea simply because for most people it was impracticable to get to the shore - least that was the case for me. I came to NZ in 2000 and must confess to having initially being somewhat surprised at the uptake of sea collected water. But since then I've seen some amazing results first hand with aquarists who have been using NSW; so much so that I'm prepared to dip my toe in the ocean as it were. (Here's the segue ) Now Takapuna boat ramp isn't a viable option for me living in Botany. So is there anyone out there living in East Auckland who collects NSW and if so where?
  3. I've used Phosguard, Rowaphos and am currently using Aqua Medic's Antiphos. I've been happy with the results of all of these products, though not neccessarilly with the price.
  4. Don't forget when you do test the water that you should perform the test after the RO stage and before the DI stage. So you will need to break the link temporarily. Otherwise you might get a 0 reading at the end of both which could simply mean that the resin is working overtime to counteract for a poor membrane. In my unit the tap water enters with a TDS reading of around 130 which drops to between 50 and 60 after passing through the RO and then finally down to single digits when passed through the resin. Personally for $69 I'd buy one. I have 2 TDS units, one which measures to an accuracy of 1 in 100, the other to 1 in 1000. The first unit cost about $200 and the more accurate unit about $300. I only ever use the first unit now; and I do use the unit regularly every month just to check that top off water going in remains as pure as it can be epxected to be.
  5. I've been trying to source a replacement impeller for the pump on my Aqua Medic KR1000 calcium reactor but can't find a reseller or anyone able to get such parts in NZ. I've also tried the distributor in Oz but don't get any replies. Does anyone out there know of an Aqua Medic reseller in NZ, or able to help?
  6. Hi Drifty - I don't suppose you were able to identify exactly what the "round leaf stuff" was, and can you remember which display tank it came out of? I can only really get there to HFF at the weekends and Dave doesn't do weekends anymore so I have to rely on staff who aren't sure what it is. Also you say "old tank" so what do you use in your new tank?
  7. Hi wasp, The "saw tooth" looking one - if memory serves this is what's growing under the large show tank at HFF right? So if I wanted a faster growing one I should pick something green from the smaller display immediately as you enter the store. I'd only plan to have one specieis growing, so all I'd need to be aware of is the "sexual thing" as you put it. To control that I'd just keep the refugium lighting on 24/7 right?
  8. Thanks - you're confirming what I'm finding. Had a look at the stuff growing in HFF but couldn't identify exactly what type of Caulerpa it was. The staff weren't able to help either. When I've exhausted all avenues I might just take a hit and get a clump from there - it's just that I feel uncomfortable about putting things in my tank when I don't know what it is. I've read some pieces on line about how Chaetomorpha grows freely in intertidal pools on the shores around certain parts of NZ, and I perhaps thought that someone might have started culturing some; but that's looking unlikely now methinks. I even took a trip out to Boulder Bay recently to see for myself but access prevented me from getting anywhere near the location. It was a fun day out for the kids though - lol.
  9. Hi all, I'm in the process of completing a set-up for a 900l reef system. I've just started cycling. I'm looking for some macro algae to harvest in my refugium but am having difficulty sourcing any. Particularly I would like to use Chaetomorpha. Does any reef keeper out there have, or know of how to get hold of, a fist full?
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