lduncan

I think one thing I don't have which makes my photo's look like crap is a tripod. If you set the f-stop of the camera low to get good depth of field with macro shots, you need to decrease the shutter speed. Which means you have to hold the camera really steady otherwise the photo's turn out blurry. Layton

I'm not really wanting to get into this debate. My thoughts on the whole Natural vs. artificial thing when in comes to reefs is that there is nothing natural about a glass tank full of saltwater overstocked with corals and fish. Some things in this hobby are practically impossible to do naturally. I suspect that the water around NZ has significantly different trace element composition to that found in tropical reefs. Equilibrium points change with temperature, there are concentration differentials in both elements and bacteria / plankton counts, and diversity in different oceans in the world. The water here is different from the waters of the reefs our animals come from, much as ASW is. No doubt that NSW works, but I don't agree that it is any more beneficial for the tank than ASW. To me the risks are too high. Layton

Surely they could have found a better model!

eating what exactly?

exactly

Chimera, you need to have a problem before you look for a solution! Using ASW is not a problem at all, I prefer it. Layton

Hi Dave. As far as NSW goes. I don't really know. I don't waste my time with it. I would be wary of collecting it from anywhere in Lyttleton harbour, or around the estuary obviously. Which doesn't leave a lot of places with convenient access. I may be wrong, and you could test the water, but it's more the things you can't test for that I'd be worried about. Do you mind if I ask what shops you have been talking to? Some are better than others. 180 litre tank? Is that 3 foot? I really would not recommend starting with anything under 4 foot. I makes life much harder for yourself. I have plenty of frags in my tank for when the time comes to add stuff to your tank. I am very busy for the next month and a half, but after that I would be more than happy to show you my setup so you can get some idea of what does what, and what not to do. There is also another reefer down here, JoeBlog (Steve), who posts here every now and then. Layton

Yeah daylight savings tends to screw with it for some reason. Layton

Sorry, stupid question, should have read your post fully. Layton

You haven't had much luck with those pumps. Was that the replacement they sent which was faulty? Layton

Plus, there hasn't been much action on the board recently. Maybe I need to start planning my tank upgrade soon. Layton

Any updates? Photo's? Layton

Thanks Steve. I never really left. Just really busy. Had a #### of a week at work and uni the last week and a bit. Layton

where are you?

Any chance of getting some hi-res photo's? Some of those acros look quite old. Layton

Nice. I quite like the look of the bevelled corners on a non in-wall tank. Layton

They don't require an external ballast to run, but there is a small electronic ballast in the base of the bulb. They are a high power / colour temperature version of the energy saver bulbs you can buy in the supermarket, which also have these ballasts built into the base. One possibility is that the (electrical) noise produced could interfere with other measurement instruments like pH meters, electronic temperature probs. Depends how well made they are. Layton

Like Pies said, only with two corals which have reproduced asexually. To different imported tourches may or may not be able sting each other. But a frag taken from a colony will not sting the colony once separated. Layton

I think we should push for more information, rather than this. What kid wants their pet to die? Information will prevent the unnecessary death of fish, not limitations. Layton

From what I understand, it was mainly ignorance at the time it was set. To get species added to the list is a major effort. I think you have to go through ERMA and try and prove that the organism is unlikely to have detrimental effects on the environment etc.. Harder than it sounds, even though it may seems common sense to us that most tropical anminals are unlikely to survive in out cold waters. Anyhow, there have been some additions to the list in the last year or so, mainly soft corals. Up till a couple of years ago, the only soft corals allowed into the country was Sacrophyton glaucum, and Tubipora. Others may be able to shed more light on the list and how and why it came to be. Layton

There are many different types of gorgonian. Some are photosynthetic, and are easy to keep, feed exclusively on zooplankton. In general the brightly coloured ones feed on zooplankton, while the brown ones are photosynthetic. But i suppose it doesn't really matter, cause you can't buy them here anyway. Layton

Yes, but they are not on the allowed list. Layton

Why do you need live sand? A lot of the better reefs I have seen either use no sand, or vacuum it regularly. Best to leave this sort of thing to live rock... unless you are planning it as part of your sump, like a removable dsb or something? Layton

Octopus are very smart, and very strong. You'd have to bolt the lid down. Layton

I'm pretty sure that Reefkeeping is a purely online publication, (run by reefcentral.com) they don't have a physical magazine. Layton