tetra_nz

Wow $22 is a really good deal for ANY sort of marine equipment :bounce: ! Will be interested to see how it performs! I think the problem with "conventional" biological media used for FW fish is the ratio of aerobic to anaerobic bacteria. Media like ceramic noodles provide a lot of surface area for aerobic bacteria, but not for anaerobic bacteria. Live rock, on the other hand, provides surfaces for aerobic bacteria as well as anaerobic bacteria. Therefore using live rock allows the removal of nitrates by anaerobes as quickly as they are produced by the aerobes. But honestly though, if you are only going to keep fish and soft corals, both of which can tolerate nitrates, then I wouldn't worry about using "conventional" biological media as the main form of bio-filtration. As for your rock, if the rock you bought didn't came straight out of someone else's tank, it will not become "live" simply by your adding salt water. You will need to get a piece of rock with goodies such as coralline algae, pods, sponges and other inverts; in time, these organisms will spread onto your other rocks.

If the tank is only 33 litres you will def need to keep up with the WC. Some people will say 33 litres is too small for even one false clown, but in my experience false clowns don't care much about swimming space. I put filter floss/sponge in my sump only if I want to polish the water (e.g. after feeding frozen food, or after major aquascaping), and after a few hours or a day I remove the filter floss. Most reef keepers do not have sponges or filter floss placed permanently in their system as they can quickly push nitrates up. This is what I have permanently in my sump: heater, protein skimmer, purigen, and rowaphos. With this setup I've been able to keep ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate all at undetectable levels with 15% WC every 2 weeks.

Interesting little tank! How many litres does it hold? Sorry if I missed it in your post :oops: I've only had experience with SPS and LPS, so can't really comment much on soft corals. But softies usually require much weaker lighting than SPS and LPS, so your lighting system might be fine. Maintenance definitely easier if left BB. Though I personally have a very thin layer of substrate that I vacuum regularly. WC schedule will most likely be 20% per week with 2 false clowns. But in such a small tank I think you could easily bump it higher to keep water parameters stable. Surface movement is a good thing, but make sure no microbubbles are formed as corals hate microbubbles. Most in the marine hobby will advise to not use any biological media like ceramic noodles. They tend to trap detritus and cause nitrates to go up. But then again, if all you are keeping is fish and softies, then nitrates need not be kept at near 0 levels. I run rowaphos in my sump. I think it does a great job at minimizing nuisance algae.

Hey Sophia thanks for the help! I had 15 cardinals wiped out by a similar/the same disease a few years ago but never found out the exact diagnosis and didn't know how to treat. I just watched them die one by one... Is the medication quite difficult to find? There's a local vet here who seems to deal mainly with dogs and cats, do you think they will have the medication? By the way I've managed to snap some shots of my poor tetra. Maybe the pictures will help with diagnosis !

I'm in Auckland, sorry just joined this site haven't entered my location details

One of my rummy nose tetras also has white worm-like organisms living in its fins. The organism look like the ones in Sophia's thread and http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum/sh ... hp?t=55925. I've put the fish into its own quarantine tank. How do I choose between the various worm medications like levamisole, praziquantel etc?

Different tubes: tubes do not light up. Different starters: tubes do not light up. I was able to do these tests using parts from another fully functioning aquarium.

Because I've tested the tubes on a different tank. So assuming that it is a problem with the wiring, is it possible to get a new hood? Or am I better off ditching the hood and getting new lights? NB Lights do not need to be high output, just bright enough to showcase the fish!

Well I've checked the starters with another tank. The starters are fine... :-?

Hello, So the lights on my Aqua One 620T have both failed. The aquarium is about 1.5 years old. The lights began to act slightly odd before they finally stopped working; when I switch them on, they would flicker to aaages (>5 min) before they turned on properly. I'm sure the problem does not lie with the tubes, nor with starters as I have independently tested both. It seems to me that something within the hood is damaged. What are my options? Is it possible to buy just a new hood without the rest of the tank? Should I switch my light system completely (e.g. to an Hagen)?

Thanks everyone, especially phoenix44, for your replies!! So I think I've narrowed my options down to 4: 1) Fluval 205 ($222.30) 2) Eheim 2213 ($171.10) 3) Eheim 2010 ($?) 4) Fluval U3 ($?) I have a few associated questions: Does anybody know the prices, even just ballpark figures, of the Eheim 2010 and Fluval U3? Also, it appears that the Eheim 2010 comes only with a sponge; has anybody tried replacing this with other media (e.g. ceramic rings) to improve performance? On a side note, anyone tried the Aqua One internal/external filters? Anything worthy of commenting on? Thanks!

Ok cool thanks Caryl and David R!

Thanks Caryl, which Jebo unit are you talking about?

Who are some of reputable tank builders in Auckland? Currently I'm aware of HFF and tanks2u (trademe). Any others worth mentioning? Thanks

Just had a look at the Fluval 204 specs, does seem a bit overkill haha. Thanks for the reply anyway SKIPPY.

Hello, I'm looking for a filter for a 100 litre tank in my bedroom. To give you an idea of the bioload, the tank will be stocked with 20~30 rummy nose tetras, with maybe 2 or 3 amazon swords. Because of location if the tank, the filter really needs to be as quiet as possible. I don't mind too much the price, but I want something that is of decent quality and very quiet. Also don't mind whether internal/external. So, what are your recommendations?