lduncan

I've never seen any cyano in my tank, ever. So maybe there is something to the NSW vs. saltmix theory. Layton

They should be fine, just try to make sure the temp, pH, and salinity are as close as possible before mixing. That should minimise the stress on your animals. Layton

Sure. I won't be home that weekend (Friday -> Sunday), but some time during the day on Monday should be fine. Let me know closer to the time and we can organise something. Layton

Who needs a moderator? I don't think this forum does.

Go bigger, i don't think the calculator takes into account noise. Too small pipe you get no noise but too little flow, "medium" pipe you get the flow rate you want, but sometimes with a lot of noise. Large pipe you get your desired flowrate plus no noise, and as reef said, the option to bump up the flow later. Layton

only if the pump is physically lower than the water level in the sump. Layton

Do domestic flights ever run on time? I know flights into ChCh from auckland are ALWAYS 15min late. Why don't they just schedule them 15 mins later!

glad we got that sorted Layton

Skimmer Layton

yeah, git rid of the wet/dry, unless you want to clean it EVERY week to make sure that no biological filtration is taking place. Use a skimmer and live rock as the filtration (live sand as well if you want, but it is debatable). The idea is to slow the conversion of wastes to nitrate, so that the skimmer can remove it. While at the same time have the reduction of nitrate (which happens at a particular "depth" from the surface of live rock) occuring as fast as possible. The wet dry filter, if not cleaned at least weekly will become biological filtration, speeding up the conversion of wastes to nitrate (they are sometimes refered to as "nirtate factories"), this is not desirable in a reef tank. Stay away from lava rock, there are all sorts of minerals which may leach and adversely affect water quality. Dead coral is used as live rock. It is carbonate based and has many tiny pores in which nirate reduction takes place. Layton

hey Ira, you could always visit Pies and see first hand how hot MH bulbs get Layton

yes elbows etc can increase the hydrostatic pressure, which also reduces flow. But friction also comes into it. I think you will find that the flow in a closed loop will reduce when you add more and more elbows into the plumbing, due to friction. Elbows / bends reduce flow due to friction. They may also reduce flow by increasing hydrostatic pressure, but they may not, it all depends on the configuration. One thing is for sure, they will ALWAYS reduce flow due to friction. Layton

yes

Friction IS the correct word, though not commonly used in this context. When you have an elbow joint for example, the friction is greater when the water hits the opposite side of the joint, and is forced to change direction. Friction is a function of the perpendicular force between two surfaces (ie: surface of the water and the elbow), so with the water hitting at a greater velocity, the friction is greater, and the pump has to work harder, or the flow is reduced. Layton

friction is the correct word. Pumps will come with a wattage rating. I'd guesstimate a water pump (mag drive), taking into account head etc would be around 40-30% efficient, so if you've got a 100watt submersible pump, it's like having a always on 60-70Watt heater. Layton

Pies, I think by friction, he means the elbows etc affecting the head, not the friction from the sides of a straight pipe. Good point about the length of the tank too. Just a little bit wider makes life easer fitting things like standard sized lights and the like. Layton

Streams work like a boat propeller, with a cage around them to stop fish getting minced. They are totally submersible, the only part out of the water is the power cord. Layton

one question, what is hole "B" for? Layton

Holes in the side are more convieniet to plumb. Holes are safer in the bottom, all things being equal, more support at the bottom means less strain on the glass (assuming the stand is level). But either way, there are some rather large saftey factors used when building glass fish tanks, so there is no need to worry whether the tank will break or not. Layton

well, you have to encase the bulb in a reflector with glass panel so UV can't escape, that requires a metal case, if DIY that means bending sheet metal. Layton

By full stoney reef, I mean a reef with small polyp stoney (sps) corals, in particular acropora species (may include LPS, and soft corals). Tanks usually don't take 6 months to cycle as such, more like 2. However it may take the tank 6 months or more, to mature to the point where you may introduce more diffucult species, such as sps corals. Calcium reactors are not a requirement, I don't have one, it just means that you have to add kalkwasser almost continuously. A calcuim reactor automates this process. RO/DI is a requirement. You will have many problems if your water is not top quality. What do you mean by using the sump as filtration? Layton

Stay away from DIY doubble ended, the UV shielding required is not work the trouble, unless your good at sheet metal fabrication. Also, MH put out a LOT of heat, so be carefull if you are trying to install them in a confined space, they could easily set wood alight. They usually need plenty of fan forced ventilation in order not to turn your tank into a hot tub! Single ended DIY can be done for about $300 for a single 400Watt unit. I don't think it gets much cheaper for lower wattage (obviously cheaper to run though). Layton

ease up guys, although i have come across this site before, I can't keep up with everything on reef central, i'm too busy. Someone may post somthing worth while which i haven't seen. What harm is it doing? Layton

Although the tank may already be running, it is a freshwater system. You will have to remove all water, gravel etc. So basically all you have for a marine setup is a tank and sump at the moment. And believe me the actual tank is the least expensive part of the hobby. For a start, I assume you use canister filters for your fw setup? These can problematic in a saltwater setup. If they are used, they are generally used to hold carbon or phosphate removers, defiantly NOT as a means of mechanical filtration. So filtration you will need a skimmer, $1000 new (minimum). Live rock, probably around 200Kg, don't know how much this is in aussie, but here it is $13/kg = $2600 Live rock is THE most important part of filtration. The more you have the more fish you can keep. Coral sand maybe $100. Test kits $130 Chiller $1000 (probably more) Power heads / closed loops $800 Lighting depends on what you want to keep: Full stoney reef 5 x 250W MH = $1200 Reef 3 x 250W MH = $720 Fish only = $0 (existing lighting) so thats $5630 for a basic fish only system to $6830 for a very basic full reef system, before you have any fish or corals. So if anything the $7000 budget is a little low. There will be a long cycling time, much longer than freshwater. Unlike freshwater, this cycling time is necessary. If you try to add live stock when the tank has not cycled, it will die.

What size tank are you planning? Layton