lduncan

It's not really about what they are "rated" for, it comes down to the quality of the relay used. Different brands will use different relays. Layton

My timer is an "Altona" rated for 2400W, I got it at Placemakers about 3 years ago. See if you can track one down from there maybe. Layton

Are you running 250's or 400's? I got two 400's on a single timer, so maybe try a different brand timer. Layton

yeah If your using magnetic ballasts, the inrush current when you first turn on the switch can be up over 10 times the running current. In my case it's up around 60 amps! This is what would be screwing your timers. The relay contacts are arcing over when switching and melting the copper contacts closed. I've never had this happened to me. I use cheap digital timers from place makers (don't know the brand). If it's a continual problem try separating each bulb onto it's own timer. Layton

Whatever floats your boat. But it's not the place to start. Layton

Personally I think those nano's look like crap. For the most part I think are unsustainable. Nano's are for pro's not beginners. Maintaining top water parameters is too difficult in tanks that small. Notice that the diversity of livestock is very limited. No fish (1 or 2 at most), and filled with zoo's mushrooms and occasional small leather cuttings. To me it's not very impressive. Colours are washed out, presumably due to poor water quality / flow, and lighting, and you are very limited to what you can keep. Layton

Totally DISAGREE, size is a critical factor in the success of reef, especially for people starting out. I would not recommend anything less than 4 foot for someone just starting out. The variety of fish you can keep in a three foot tank is extremely limited. I should know. I started out with a three foot converted freshwater tank. That was one of my biggest mistakes. My advice would be to get at least a 4 foot, drilled with a three foot sump ($300-$400). Good quality skimmer ($600) - acts as a semi-mechanical filtration. Removes dissolved organic compounds which would other wise decompose into nitrates. 40kg Live rock ($400) - acts as biological filtration. Skimmer and live rock together form your complete filtration system. NO canister filter bio-balls or even filter wool. Two 250W MH units ($600+). Test Kits ($250) - Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH, Alkalinity. Livestock ($2000 + fully stocked) all up prob $5,000 with pumps etc. Have a look around reefcentral.com for a month or two before purchasing anything. This will give you an idea of what you should expect when setting up and maintaining a tank. Layton

it's a volitan lionfish. Layton

it seems like he's on a permanent holiday!

I think that it is illegal to sell calurpa, because it is classed as a noxious weed? So your LFS is unlikely to have it (or sell it). Sand is the same deal as live rock, you have to buy it dry from a shop, or get it from a friendly fellow reefer. Layton

go for the bigger one, you can always add another valve and have it partially closed to restrict the flow if you need to. Layton

I bet it's not from the Takapuna Boat ramp! Layton

I keep mine at 25 degrees. 24 to 27 is a rough range. Whether or not you need a chiller really depends on what type, and how much lighting you have. I need a chiller down here on a 6' tank with 2 400Watt metal halides. Layton

Answers: 1) Skimmer is the primary form of filtration used in reefs. Biological filtration is achieved using live rock. Skimmers are used with every type of fish or coral. Canister filters are used by some people to run carbon, or other such chemical filtration media. 2) Some of the auckland guys can give you info on where to obtain MH stuff up there. You can go with aquarium specific fittings such as Arcadia, or you can go with DIY using ballasts and reflectors from hydroponics places. You could do a single 400Watt setup for around $300 (incl bulb) DIY. MUCH more expensive if you buy a unit such as the Arcadia ones. 3) The idea with marine tanks is to have as few "dead" spots (areas of low flow) as possible. Good flow around and between live rock with increase it's usefulness as a biological filter (reducing nitrates). So placement is really a matter of trial and error. Most corals love a lot of current (excluding some LPS). Good flow is just as critical as good lighting in a reef. 4) Live rock forms the basis of the biological filtration for the tank. It can be imported into NZ, but must be stored dry for the quarantine period of 3 weeks, which defeats the whole purpose of live rock. Again ask some of the auckland people where to get it (most likely as dry rock), I assume places like jansens have it. This dry rock has to be reseeded in order for it to be useful as a biological filter. This involves storing it in saltwater for a couple of months with a piece of "real" live rock. Jetskisteve may be able to sort you out with some real live rock. Typical cost for live rock is around $12/kg. 5) Two methods of getting saltwater. 1) buy salt from your LFS and mix it up with ro/di water. 2) Collect from the nearest beach. Don't use salt from the supermarket. 6) The sand used in reefs is carbonate based, (rather than silica based which is found on NZ beaches). Again you should be able to get this from Jansens or equivalent . 7) In Auckland, Jansens, Hollywood, (there must be others as well but I live in ChCh so I don't know) 8) Protien skimmer is a big plastic tube which water is pumped through in the tube it is mixed with fine air bubbles, the air bubbles attract organic molecules to their surface. The bubbles rise up the tube, dragging these molecules with them, and then finally overflow as a foam into a collection cup at the top. 9) Corals come attached to a small piece of rock, you just wedge them into the live rock in your tank. Anemones don't come attached to rocks, you try and place them where you want them, and them watch them move to where they want to be. 10) Kalk is calcium hydroxide. It's an addative used to keep calcium and alkalinity levels up. Corals and clams use calcium, and will die if the levels drop too low. Layton

Most of my fish will. I think marine fish are more willing to than freshwater. My blue tang has drawn blood once, I think trigger fish have the worst habit for biting. Layton

looks good! I wish I had an in wall! Layton

IHUG, try xtra... telecom are ###### useless. Jetstream was down for 6 hours the other day. I'm kind of use to their "micro" outages of a couple of minutes every 8 hours or so, but six hours! Anyone would think that they don't have redundant equipment! Why reef racks? Because live rock is expensive. Better flow around live rock within reef structures can apparently increase the filtration effects of the rock (you know what I mean?). Lower volume of rock, with equivalent filtration effect. Layton

You can't see chimeras pics cause he hasn't uploaded them to the server. Layton

You couldn't kill mushrooms if you tried! They are right up there with aiptasia! Layton

US $300 per month!

A school of fish would look nice in there. Don't know what type, but something like blue chromis, yellow tangs, or bangaii's would look nice. This tank just goes to show that not all soft coral tanks are boring. Layton

Nice having a reef on your doorstep, no maf to deal with etc. $9 is expensive considering. Layton

Should have saved the vodka for your tank . Just had an earthquake down here, pretty interesting to see 180gal of water and rock moving back and forth about an inch! Layton

How big is the tank? It looks very long. Layton

Looks like my other female is going to release eggs any day now to! She is big and boxy (full of eggs), and she is extending her jaw and shimmying next to any fish which will hang around long enough. Does anyone have a male? It would be nice to get some more bangaii's around the country, considering how difficult it is to import them at the moment. Layton