lduncan

How does Calcium Hydroxide work? Well the calcium part supplies calcium funnily enough. The hydroxide provides alkalinity via the following reactions: (hydroxide plus carbon dioxide) OH- + CO2 --> HCO3- (Bicarbonate) (hydroxide plus bicarbonate) OH- + HCO3- --> CO3-- + H2O (Carbonate and Water) Alkalinity is the concentration of bicarbonate and carbonate (essentially). I've got a bag at the moment if anyone wants some. Layton

Pickling lime is just food grade Calcium Hydroxide. Kalkwasser is just Calcium Hydroxide. Kalkwasser from a pet shop costs around $90 per kg, this is most likely reagent grade, which is about as pure as you can get. For around the same price you can get a 25kg bag from a chemical supply house, this would be food grade, which is not as pure, but the impurities are not necessarily bad, I think sodium and magnesium are the most common. Take your pick. Layton

How embarrassing Almost make you want to switch to ASW! Layton

Yip, thats it. I only warned against it because it grows so quickly (for a small tank), and can drop your calcium and alkalinity so fast. It's a great coral for a bigger tank, it's very hardy and grows fast. Layton

Not the pic I was looking for, but this shows a hydno attack: I remember seeing another pic showing a coral almost a 12" away being attacked. Looked like a net gun had be shot from the hydno. While finding this pic, i learned something that I didn't know. Hydnophora's don't actually produce sweepers like brains, and euphillias do. The strands are actually mesenterial filaments, which are the digestive organs in corals. So hydno's spill their guts to attack and eat other corals. No wonder they kill so quickly! Layton

I'd stay away from montipora capricornis, it grows too quickly for a small tank. It will suck all calcium and alk out of your system. My green one grows at up to 1.5cm (linearly) a week!. Layton

Ones from mine are about 10" and they are out most nights. Steve - packed with hydnophora? A healthy hydno will grow very fast, and will produce a lot of long sweapers which are very efficient at killing most other corals. Layton

Hydnophora are easy to keep, but grow quickly and are really aggressive. They send out long streamers to kill surrounding corals. Probably not the best for a small tank. Something like a branching montipora would be good. They are not as aggressive. Yet relatively hardy, and don't mind lower light. Layton

I agree with Fay. If you are not going to have a hood, or can't conceal the lights and reflectors, go with a professionally made unit. DIY will look crap. If you are going to have a hood, DIY will be the most cost effective way (by a long shot) Layton

Another satisfied Streams owner. I wouldn't be without mine... until the new tank, CL everywhere. The tank will be looking like Swiss cheese with all the holes. Layton

I'll have to get a frag of that purple milli, looks great. Layton

You'll save about $200 a year on power, over a similar deltec which has 4 pumps, if that's any consolation. Steve - as far as I know Alois is not selling these, it's for personal use. Wouldn't be too many people who could afford, or would be willing to pay, for such a skimmer in NZ, no matter how good it may or may not be. Is it worth the extra money? Who knows. Layton

One acro has rtn'ed, and still no sign of the two missing fish. Luckily everything else looks fine now, but many have browned out a bit. Hopefully they should regain colour quickly. Layton

Most corals are fine with it. In the wild, some can be out of water for a couple of hours a day, during very low tides. Layton

Funny you should ask, I managed to get some work done on it today. The first time for months. The next step it to get a circuit board manufactured (overseas) so I can put together a prototype with more memory so i can finish writing the software. Layton

suphew, the problem with most DIY chillers is that it's relatively hard to source proper materials for them to work very well. Finding titanium coils is the problem, pvc tubing is a poor conductor (of heat) which makes most DIY chillers virtually useless. If you could make a heat exchanger out of titanium you may have a chance. Layton

Hey Steve, Robert should be able to sort something out for you, but I suspect that it will be fairly expensive, even at mates rates, probably better off finding a chiller... or if you're game, moving the tank. Layton

To be fair Pies, there is a bit more to streams than just moving water. There is the ability to control them. But I do agree there is a massive premium on them, simply because they are made by Tunze. Layton

One casualty so far, a flame angel, found it minus his head on the bottom of the tank. Two fish are missing in action. A green chromis, and royal dottyback. A couple of acros have some recession, but I can't see any tissue peeling back, hopefully they don't rtn. Layton

1-2mm in diameter clear with a black dot in the middle. They are in a cluster about 4cm in diameter. Layton

It was a joke. :lol: Layton

Found a couple of things during the tank move. 1. Egg ball from my royal dottybacks. I have three, I have no idea which is male or female. They all look the same. But it was attached to the underside of one of the caves that one of them used to protect furiously. I have saved them and they are floating in a bag in the tank with an airline tube. I doubt they will hatch, but you never know. 2. A pair of large black crabs (10cm), the female was packed with eggs. No 2m worm though Layton

Any updates Pies, must be close to moving corals? Layton

I was moving house. My tank is 6', transferred fish corals, and most of the rock, into a 4 foot tank, (I don't know how it all fit in there). I think it's safe to say I won't be moving again anytime soon! Layton

It sucks... Unless you have a much bigger one prepared earlier. Started on Sat, transferred all my corals and fish and rock into a 4 foot holding tank (which will become part of the sump for my new tank.) I never knew I had that many corals. Moved the old tank today, half filled it and now waiting for it to get to temp to add salt. Tomorrow I will be moving all the rock, corals and back into the tank. Never again! Layton