Antipodes

In a word, Yes.

Had marines about 25 years ago as a fish only tank. Then about 10 Years ago I went to the Singapore tropical fish Expo and saw some amazing tanks at a place called Aquatechnic They were all Reef tanks with nice 19mm glass sealed with black RTV with all edges ground and no bracing. They were really clean and looked really first class. They used all Dupla gear and my friend and I were astounded by the quality of the corels and how they were growing and flourishing. Now I see the various gear available and it all makes it very easy to keep a nice tank. Of course you still need thousands to get set up, but hey, you got to spend your money on something.

Have two 300 Watt Jewel heaters for 4 years now with no problems. They have a two year warranty, but I have not needed it.

Thanks for bringing our attention to that. Very good reading!

You are reasonably right, and the statement copper is toxic and will cause vomiting is correct if drunk in quantities. .1 PPM is still a reading and will not cause ill health, in fact people wear bracelets to ensure that some copper is going to enter the body for health benefits. If you put a piece of copper in to standard tap water, you will see a rise in copper solution in the water over time. My statement still stands, if you want to be assured that the water you are using for any aquarium system is suitable, you test prior to using. If you have copper susceptable fish, then you should be testing for copper. You probably will not get a reading to worry about. However you need to be aware and test prior to usage!

Just remember that if you are using this method and you have a old NON mains water pressure cylinder, it will probably be copper. This will put a small copper level into the water and if you have any fish that won't take it, you may see problems. Of course this will actually help avoid white spot, for those systems that can take a bit of copper. But a copper test of your hot water supply will tell you how much, if any is being leached into the water.

Wilson said Well, you can sort of. Redwood Aquatics tanks are just as impressive and they have losts of Corals which I have just bought a heap of.

A lot of individuals use chillers for cooling in the summer months. However I am using a heat exchanger using tap water for the cooling source. As I am using a aquarium computer, I have used that to control a solenoid valve which turns the water on and off. It feeds through alcathan tubing coiled in the sump through to the drains. Works well at the moment, but intend to make a stainless heat exchanger for better heat transference. As we do not pay for extra water charges in CHC, this seemed the best economical option for me. Chillers can soon rack up a significant amount on your electrical bill.

This link is one of the best resources for glass calculations for aquarium. There is even a spreadsheet calculator you can download and try all your various combinations. A safety factor of 3 or over is preferrable for all glass tanks. Remember also, that the thinner the glass the less area for the sealant to adhere to. And the best thing is, this link is on this very site. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/articles/technical/glassthickness/