newaqua

I agree. That is exactly what I am doing, simple. As I hope the pictures will show when I build this thing.

Agreed. Thought I may ask here to see if anyone had any suppliers/ideas of this kind of equipment

If we were all to accept things as given, we would not progress!

I have gone over the costs of doing it myself, I think all up it will be under $50. Im going to try it to see if it works, will post any pictures on here as I go (might be a few weeks away).

No specific reason aside from better water quality.

Not alot of plants, not really too worried about them. However, I think the nitrates are higher due to all the work going on at the moment with fixing the systems.

Hey All. Quick question with regard to a flow meter. I am looking for a fairly universal one, just to put in various different lines to accurately measure water flow rates. Everything from a low 1/2 litre a minute, up to the higher 20 litres a, minute. Does anyone have any brands or types they would suggest? I have read about many different types, but have become confused as to which would do the best job.

That was my understanding as well.

Anywhere from 10-30, varies a little.

Ahh, now I understand. I was meaning running it on the tank, 24/7, (rather than just for new water) whether I do a water change or not to keep the nitrates down in general (on top of doing water changes). However, if I am getting nitrates in my tap water, are these not organic compounds of some kind? As far as I am aware, thats what Nitrates are, an organic compound (and therefore carbon based)??? If not, can you explain a little as I am confused if thats not the case! :dunno:

My understanding was the bacteria that turn the nitrate into gas only need an anaerobic area. For example, the bubbles that you see appear against the glass, underneath a DSB - the small bubbles being the Nitrate that the bacteria has created. These bacteria are not being fed any carbon that is not already in the water, so what is the need to feed the same bacteria inside the Nitrate Reactor/Filter?

Hello all. I have recently moved, and the water coming from the tap has higher levels of Nitrate than what I used to get in my tank under normal conditions at my old house! So I have been looking at Nitrate Reactors/Filters. Effectively turning the Nitrate in the water into gas, rather than having to do heaps of water changes. From what I can understand its just a continuation of the nitrogen cycle. They work through creating an anaerobic area within the tank (or system) for the bacteria to survive. Alot of info on the net suggests that you need to 'feed' these to keep the bacteria alive. However, would this type of bacterial filtration not work like the rest of the biological filtration 'chain'? By this I mean, should they not sit at a sustainable level, obviously once it is attained, inside the tank. For example, the bacteria that turn Ammonia into Nitrite, these bacteria keep the Ammonia level at zero (or extremely close to), but still survive, as they reach an optimum 'number'. Would this not occur with the bacteria that turn the Nitrate into gas? From what I can understand reading online alot of people suggest to 'feed' them: http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/manu ... te-reactor However, what is the point in feeding them to keep them alive? If this unit is attached full-time, feeding them would only allow them to exist in numbers that are above what is needed. Am I correct in thinking this? I have added the link above, however I will be building one myself (not buying) I was just looking for information on it. Does anyone have any ideas?

So where would these breeders be? And when I am meaning expensive, I am meaning anything from around $175 and higher. Thanks

Hey All. Wanting to know if there are any breeders of Zebra Plec's in NZ, (L46). There used to be someone up north ways, but not sure now. Also looking for any L260's the Queen Plec. Does anyone know of any breeders of the expensive plecs in NZ? Such as the gold nuggets, etc etc. Anyone have any ideas?

Anyone have any comments on this post? http://www.hawkfish.org/snailman/skimmer101.htm

Running on a tank that size, 60w incandescent would be your biggest power drain, it would probably be more than the heater. I would agree and try some of the efficient spiral-type bulbs.

Hello Everyone. I am interested to know the different rates at which protein skimmers should be run. I,e, 50% of tank volume an hour or 20% etc etc. Just in general what people think, or what they have theirs set to. Thanks Mike

RUNAS. I like the way you think. If there was more room, going through the legs would be the thing to do. Concrete slab at home. Thanks for the ideas about the pipes. But the sump will have to be at the same level as the tank.

As you can imagine, there is not alot of water-air contact. Therefore to keep everything alive the air pump effectivly creats a positive pressure inside the tank, forcing the air in. The glass is double glazed, so it pushes down into the tank. Effectively yes its like a shallow tank. Yes, its running an external filter at the moment. Any ideas for plumbing/where I should be taking the water from? Mike

Ok. So I have had issues posting the images on here, so I have added a link here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/79532503@N05/with/6973867704/ As you can see, there are 5 panes of glass that can be seen through. It is a fish-tank-coffee-table. At the moment, while we are renovating, it is not sitting in the middle, hence one pane is up against the box which currently houses all the equipment, however in the future, it will be stand alone in the middle, as a coffee table. As you can see from the pictures, a normal overflow is not an option. In one of the pictures I have added 2 red circles to show where the in and out that are drilled in the base are. Directly above these is the glass top which presses down into the water, so an overflow in the middle of the tank, above this hole is also not possible. Returning water in the top of the tank is also not an option, as around the top a steel brace holds everything square, which sits hard against the wood when the top is down, I have attempted to show this in another photo. Essentially I have 2 options from what I can see: The first is to simply let the flow from the tank fill the sump to the same level of the tank. And have the protein skimmer pump back into the tank, as long as the natural flow through the pipe can keep up with it, to keep water in the sump. The second is to have, in 2 corners of the tank, an inch from each corner, a mini overflow, which at the bottom, is piped under the sand back to the hole in base. This is quite hard to describe. In each corner, a mini triangle is made by gluing in another piece of glass at a 45 degree angle against both edges, about an inch from where they meet, running it down to the base of the tank, with a hole in the newly added glass at the base, for a pipe to take it back to the base pipe. I hope you can understand what I'm talking about??? The issue with each, is whether the pipe will have enough natural flow with just the pressure of the tank to keep the sump at its level with the protein skimmer running at its appropriate rate. The issue with just the first is not taking the water from the top, instead taking the water from the base. How important is it taking the water from the base of the tank? And what kind of flow is needed to keep the protein skimmer doing its job effectively, is a slower rate/flow better than a fast? Or is faster/higher flow better? Any questions or comments are welcome. The tank at the moment has tropical's in it, but the idea is to eventually change it to marine, once I have everything figured out. I have the ability to have 4 T5's on it, these will be recessed inside the wooden top when I have finished. Thanks Mike

I will post some pictures. Hopefully tonight. The sump will be on the same level as the tank, kind of hard to explain, its a very very custom tank,a nd nothing about it is normal. Mike

Thanks, Im looking at getting one to keep with a mixture of other fish, Albino corys, Sterboi Corys, Jurupari eartheaters, bristlenose, and an angel. Do you think that would work?

Hello All. Quick question with regard to taking the overflow from the top of the tank. Does it have to be taken from the top of the tank? I have a tank, that has no access from any top edge of glass from all 4 sides. It is simply the way it is situated, that you can walk right around it and view from all 4 sides. It also has a glass top pressed down into the water, so you can see down into the tank without any condensation appearing on the glass. The current set-up is the in and outs are drilled in the bottom of the tank. With sufficient water movement inside the tank, would it be possible to take the water for the sump and skimmer from one of the existing holes on the bottom of the tank? Or am I pushing it? Its only a 200 litre tank. Any suggestions or comments would be most appreciated. Thanks Mike

Oh, and if anyone knows of Tropical creatures like Crayfish that are available in NZ, I would love to know about them.

Hey All. Just curious if anyone has held any of these in tanks inside before. Would be interested to know, and if so, what sort of temperatures/water quality do you have them in? I ask this, as I was talking with a friend who believes that they would be fine in a tank of up to 22-23 degrees, which is a good 5 degrees above their summer time peak of water temperature. Any comments/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks Mike