lduncan

Hmm... It would, but I think how well this works would depend on the diameter of tubing used. Plus you would have to be very sure that the container was completely air tight. At least with Ira's method, if there is a small air leak in the container, then the sump won't overflow. Just as long as the airpump can provide enough volume and pressure to compensate for the leak, it will still work. Layton

Yeah, the Streams (and some other pumps) have a directional brake on the rotor to ensure that they spin the right way when power is applied. If you try and manually spin the propeller the opposite direction, it will travel a small rotation and the stop dead when the brake engages. Cleaver and cheap solution to what otherwise would have to be solved by using a DC motor instead of an AC one. BTW we don't seem to be able to access that pic, it asks you to login. I think if you get the OM and put a big pump on it, you should have enough flow... for now. Layton

Wiring is a piece of cake. Anyone with half a brain could do it. All the parts come with clearly labelled terminals and there is a little diagram printed on the ballast. Layton

Yip, for $90 I got a ballast, ignitor, PF capacitor, and a ceramic bulb socket. All you need on top of this is wire, bulb and a reflector. I still don't have a source for any good premade reflectors though. All stuff is from "Lamp Specialists Ltd" phone 03 365-3491 fax 03 365-3128 The parts are all ATCO brand, part numbers are below. Ballast: OGB400 Ignitor: AZRM6ES Cap: 25uF Socket: E39/40 Pulse Rated 4kV I'm running Coralvue 20k bulbs no fluros at all. But I had one of my old Venture 10k bulbs in this morning, and the visual colour is very similar. I can't tell them apart. I'm sure the spectrum is different though. Layton

Lamp Specialists down here in Christchurch. It's all "Atco" brand stuff, you should be able to get it from any industrial lighting place, or Ideal Electrical or similar place. Layton

Hey Pies, If you are after 400 Watt ballasts, I just added a third one to my tank, and it only cost me $90 for the ballast, starter, cap, and ceramic bulb socket brand new. Very cheap if you don't mind a bit of wiring. Layton

Rip all your rock and coral out. Seriously, I don't know, I hate having to catch stuff out of my tank, it's a PITA. Layton

Yes. Tank bred. Some Dwarf angels are able to be bred in captivity, as are yellow tangs. The usual damsel type fish are easy to breed but are still more expensive, most I have seen are at least double the price, if not more. Layton

Aquacultured corals is no problem. If you want aquacultured fish, be prepared to pay for them. http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/Ca ... &siteid=20 Layton

From what I understood, there are quotas in place, but no money for the authorities to enforce them, so they rely on collectors to give them accurate numbers. I think the actual catch rate was almost three times the quota! Who knows, maybe fish will come under CITIES in order to regulate numbers more strictly. Layton

Nori is not a complete food obviously. It is really only for fish which feed on marine algae, such as tangs, which eat a lot of it every day. Mysis and brine provide protein and HUFA for other fish. Layton

yip

supermarket Layton

Certifications are always an inconvenience. I don't know much about the process at all, but i'm pretty sure that Australia and NZ have shared standards. Layton

Looks to be a doco on Vanuatu and the marine aquarium trade collectors, exploitation, overfishing and corruption. http://tvnz.co.nz/view/tvone_story_skin ... ormat=html 10:15pm Friday. Layton

I would be interested. Layton

here's one here: http://www.moyesreef.com/ Layton

What was the deciding factor for you? Too new? No record of reliability? Layton

check out this tread. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewto ... 5&start=15 Layton

Like this? http://www.reefonline.com.au/shop/produ ... cts_id=246 It's Aussie, so I assume the motor is 240volt. Layton

For all the big fish Pies is going to load into his tank , what else? Layton

Very few species of bristle worms eat corals. Another one of those reefing myths which has been passed on for years. Of course you could be unlucky and end up with one which does eat coral, but unlikely. Layton

What's wrong with the worm? Layton

What about a sequence reef flo hammerhead from www.reefonline.com.au? 21,570 L/hr for AU$599, or the stingray at 16,000 L/hr for AU$540? Layton

Streams have a feed button . But I too would favour closed loops over streams. But having said that, streams are great! Well worth the money. Layton