Diver

The tank size is 1400mm, also it is not a reef tank it is a native marine so don't think I need the real high turn over of a reef tank.

I assume that you mean 25mm hose diameter so the hole I need to get drilled will be 32mm to allow for the bulkhead. Cheers, Diver

Hi, I’m about to get some holes drill in my tank to add a chiller and to add a squid to my setup. What size should I make the holes. The squid is the return from the overflow and I think it is about 3000lt, the chiller will be about 400lt. I want to get sizes that will make it easy to get plumbing parts for and not restrict the flow. TIA, Diver

I made some rock using cement and cured them in the ocean for my Native marine tank. For memory I cured the cement in fresh water for about 5 week (I read doing it is salt water straight away makes them weaker) then I left them in the ocean in 15 meters for about 3 months. I left them on the edge of the reef so they were on the sand but right next to the rocks. I was only planning on leaving them for about a month but it took me a long time to get a tank to put them in. The rocks had a good covering of red algae (which I think is a type of coralline algae) and the amount of random life that showed up in the tank was amazing. Unfortunately I had heat problems and then had to move house so currently they are sitting in big buckets waiting for me to set up the tank again, with a chillier. Cheers, Diver.

Thanks for all the help so far I had another look at the house yesterday. About the only place I can put the tank is pretty close to the fire, about .5m . The supports under the floor are 4 by 2 and the joist run parallel to the tank (hope my builder terms are correct). I think I may have to end up flipping a coin to decide if I put the tank in this spot. Someone in Auckland must know who I can get to drill some holes in my tank. What type of business should I ring, do the people who fix broken windows have this type of equipment? Cheers Diver.

I’m adding the chiller as it a good time to do it i.e. the tank will be empty. Also I will do the other things I forgot to do when I first got it like paint the back. Cheers Diver

I have to move flats this weekend and thought I should get some advice so hopefully nothing goes wrong. My tank is 1.4 by .5 by .6. First the new flat has wood floors in the lounge and as the house is on a slope the floor is about 3 m off the ground. I only had a quick look at the supports and it looks like it just wood beams. I’m wondering if it will be safe to put the tank on this. Is there any thing I should look at top determine the strength? Otherwise I will have to put the tank in the garage or in my room which has concrete floors. Second I need to attach a chiller to the tank as it is cold water marine. Currently there is an overflow on the right corner of the tank and the return in the left corner. My plan is to drill two holes and operate the chiller in a closed loop. For position I was thinking of locating them both at the surface to protect against potential flooding with the outlet on the right side facing in and the inlet in the middle. Will this work ok? Both pumps will be pumping 3000lt each. Third who in Auckland can I get to drill the tank? and how much is it likely to cost. I’m on the north shore, so will I have to take the tank somewhere or can it be done at my place? Thanks Diver

That is what I had thought about the glass drilling. I wished I got the tank drill before filling it now I guess I will have to live with a pipe coming in from the top. Another question I have is the coral sand in the bottom of my tank is all moving to the back, I don’t think I have excesses amounts of water moment (not compared to some reef tanks) about 2500 lt/hour from the over flow and two 1000 lt/hour power heads which have outlets that move. Tank is about 550lt with sump. Should I just try moving the power heads to stop the sand moving or am I doomed to having deep sand at the back of the tank.

I have a couple questions about my new native marine tank that I have had running for two weeks. I’m worried that the filter wool that I have in the top of the bio tower is filtering lots of the food before the animals get a chance to eat it. Also I found a lot of small shrimp in there that must have come from the NSW or rock I used. I’m also worried that if I remove it food will get caught in the coral rubble that I have in the bio tower and cause nitrate problems. What is the normal set-up, with or without filter wool? Second, is it possible to get a tank drilled for more holes without completely emptying it? thanks Diver

I made rock from concrete that I put in the ocean for several months to liven it and make sure it was completely cured. I’m not sure if this has helped the cycle time as I will only be doing my third round of tests tonight. It did however give the rock a nice red colour that I hope will survive in my tank. Also there was a lot of life living on the rock that is now in the tank. My tank is only a couple degrees warmer that the ocean as I’m keeping Native marines.

I’m planning on keeping things like crabs, hermit crabs, triple fins, shrimp, starfish and maybe a leather jacket. I’m not sure if I will try a seahorse as I have a lot of water movement. Some things I may try are sponges, crayfish, octopus and sea slug. If anyone has tried keeping these species any info would be great. Diver

Someone must know of a place to get fluoro bulbs from. TIA Diver.

I made some DIY rock that has been sitting in the sea for a couple months so I will uses that if I can find it (wasn’t planning on leaving it there so long). If I can’t find the homemade rock or there isn’t enough I will also uses rock collected while diving.

I have finally got a tank for my native marine set-up and now I have a couple questions. Tank dimensions 1.4L * .6H * .5W (1) I’m planing on making a DIY hood for the fluoros lights I remember someone saying there is a cheap place to get fittings and bulb in Auckland suitable for marine that are cheaper than a pet store. Also what types of light are recommended and how many, I’m not keeping coral but hopefully I can get seaweed to grow and coralline algae. (2) The tank has a sump with a bio tower; I have read that bio towers are not normally needed as the live rock does the job. I’m not sure if I’m going to have enough rock in the tank for this to work so I was wondering if I should fill the tower with small coral pieces. Any other advice form people that have keep NZ native marines. Thanks Diver.

Has anyone used coral gravel in their tanks. Is it porous enough for good bacteria? I’m thinking of using it to make my rocks, as it’s cheaper than coral sand or aragonite.