Pegasus

Hi Caryl, You don't need to empty a tank to seal a leak... even a big one. Just apply the silicone to your fimger and smear over the leaking area. Use a good sealer like Silaflex RTV. Works like magic

Cees said Be nice if there was a direct link from the main sheet of the forum, and some indication of how many, or if anyone was in the room, also on the main forum header.

Hi Leeves, We have discussed this several times on this forum, and we have a number of users on tank "rainwater" supply that have no probs. Andrew said: Just two questions for all those on town water, If you were not on town supply what would you do ? If you were not on town supply, would you still be keeping fish ?

Hi Shilo, If you happen to get into Auckland you can buy cheap flouro light fittings here, all sizes. http://www.surplustronics.co.nz/cat.php?cat=MP

Not a tetra of course, but for schooling, a good quantity of Tiger Barbs takes some beating.

Hi there Leeves, Welcome to the forum. Not worth the risk. You might eliminate the smell but the toxins will remain forever. A friend of mine is a stainless steel welder. A job came up to repair a crack in the tank of a petrol tanker. The tank had been filled to the brim with water for over a month, and was constantly topped up as it leaked. They drained the tank and wiped it out. No sign of any smell was apparent, but on striking the arc my mate was blown to the other end of the tank, and still bears the scars after 15years. It may smell ok, but you can never be sure. What sort of fish do you have ? Regards, Bill (Pegasus)

No prob John, I thought it was a bit strange that all

Hi Warren, Don't think it was me that said this, but I believe it to be true. Hi John, In the world of Bacteria, this, ... is a relativly very small number, and even that figure to a power of ten is still very small It would be a good exercise to count the bacteria in an established UG filter, to that in an established other filter. Going by Warren's post, (which I agree with) the sub plate filter, plus just about everywhere else in the aquarium that contains bacteria, would far outweigh even the biggest cannister filter. Anyone own an abacus Bill (Pegasus)

A friend of mine breeds these constantly and uses only geen water at first, then finely crushed flake food. If you place a container of aquarium water in a place where it will get direct sunlight, it will turn green in a short time. You can also feed infusoria if you can culture some, or use a liquid fry food from your local fish supplier. Old water that has gone cloudy from a vase of flowers contains infusoria. just use an eye dropper and squirt some into your fry tank. Bill (Pegasus)

Ha ha... That'll take the sting out of them Midas :)

INNOVATIONS IN TANK DESIGN. The Cascade System. This is nothing new of course, and has been done many times before using different methods, many of which need the tank to be drilled in some manner, or the reliance on a siphoning system, that can cause problems. If you are unconcerned about passing water from one tank to the next, then the cascade system is an ideal way to use a single heat source to heat a number of tanks. I used the following because I have just set up a large number of 2x15x12 tanks and needed a cheaper method of heating them. The application here will need one of the end panels on the tank to be made, or altered, to suit, so a little skill in glass cutting is required. It is also mainly aimed at those that are making tanks, although you could convert an existing tank if you were brave enough. One letdown, if it is such a thing, is that each additional tank has to be slightly higher than the proceeding one, a height of only 30mm, but nevertheless, it may not suit everyone's taste, but for my application I was unconcerned and used a single flat stand with a 30mm packing under each additional tank. The Cascade Conversion. Using this system, the water has to flow from the tank at a higher level, to one at a lower level, and then back again. Any number of tanks can be added, provided the next one is slightly higher than the last, but it is suggested that only up to five or six are connected at this stage, or you can do it with just two tanks if you want to experiment. The end glass at one end is cut 30mm shorter than the tank top. The piece you removed will now become part of the end piece, but will need cutting to suit and then siliconing into position. For the actual overflow I used a short rectangular tube. My first attempt was to form a rectangle tube by heating a piece of 40mm plastic pipe under the grill, and then forcing a piece of wood into the semi flexible plastic. It was easy to do, but I found an alternative. Later I found it easier to use discarded craft knife blade holders. These are ideal and will give adequate flow when the ends are removed. They are around 20mm wide by 12mm deep, so you will need to position the piece of tube (converted blade holder) in the centre of the shortened end glass and mark its position. The 30mm strip you cut off will now need cutting so that you have a piece to fit at either side of the rectangular tube. Silicone the two 30mm strips to the top edge of the shortened end, and onto the front or back glass as required. Do this by placing them edge to edge. You should now have a complete end, minus a gap in the middle which is 30mm wide. Cut two more strips of glass around 15mm wide and cover the joining of the 30mm strips and the shortened end glass. Do this by applying silicone to the strip, then position over the joins and apply slight pressure for a few moments. It will hold in place. The only thing left to do is to now bond the rectangular tube into position. This is a bit messy, but I find the finger works best to spread the silicone around the rectangle tube. I let the tube overhang into the tank by around 30mm, and the rest extends from the tank side and will eventually overhang the next lower tank. The short overhang in the converted tank will allow me to add a piece of mesh over the opening if required to stop fry being passed from one tank to the next. Check to see it is well sealed, and don't be too worried about the top section being open, as the water will never reach that level. Place the tanks in position and ensure that the one with the conversion is around 30mm higher than the other, and both are on a solid stand with a styrene base for each. Lifting the water. Any flexible tube around 12mm will do for the transfer water pipe, as all you really need is a pipe with an airline pushed in the bottom. I used a bit of garden hose for my trials, but you may want something better looking. The uplift pipe should always go in the lowest tank of all, as placing it elsewhere will cause one or more tanks to overflow. Adjust the air so that the water is lifted in the flexible pipe and flows into the upper of the tanks. The flow should only go into the upper most tank in the line of tanks, otherwise that tank will remain cold. As the tank fills the water will begin to pour from the rectangular tube and into the next lower tank, then the next, then the next, until it reaches the lowest tank where it is forced back into the highest tank in the line. Even if you had ten in line, the effect would be the same, as each higher tank would overflow into the next lower one. All my tanks remained within one degree of each other, so I don't think it makes much difference which one the heater is in, but I suggest putting it in the tank that is the lowest one, the one with the uplift. The heater in the uplift tank is 150watt, but perhaps in winter this may need upgrading to a larger size. Instead of an airlift you could of course use a powerhead. As long as the overflow rectangular tube is larger than the input of water coming into the tank, then the tanks will never overflow past the rectangular overflow pipe. A strainer mesh can be added to prevent fish moving tanks. I would be pleased to hear any questions or opinions, either posted here, or by email. Detailed pics will follow as soon as I get access to a camera. Happy Days Bill (Pegasus)

Hi Jadie, Interesting post. You seem to certainly get around the shops, and obviously take notice You said: You might find that washing the rocks in a mild bleach solution will restore them back to the original, but make sure you really rinse them well before putting them back in. Bill (Pegasus)

About a month ago my wife was touching my fish as they swam back and forth between her fingers. I asked her to stop, and gave it no more thought, but later noticed that my large adult sailfin mollie with only one eye had it's other eye hanging out of it's head. It looked hopeless, and the fish was swimming around in a daze, not sure which way to go. It seemed my wife's nail had caught it's eye as, on inspection there was a slight mark above the eye. I treated the wound with a salt bath, then again over three days, and the "one eyed" mollie is back to it's normal self, and has since dropped around a hundred young. The lesson here I suppose is that any fish is worth "SOME" attempt to save it, and even when things look hopeless, there is still the chance that the life of the fish will be saved. I don't name my fish, but I value each and every one of them, even the fry. Bill (Pegasus)

Hi there Aqua, Glad you joined the forum, real nice to see someone "local" although you are several hours away Great little fish you have, and a good starting point. Tanks are like fish... they tend to breed once you get deeply involved with the hobby, so there's heaps of advice on this forum that will guide you through setting up and all the tech stuff that seems to pop up all the time. Regards, Bill (Pegasus)

A buildup of gas behind the eye, or physical injury, but no reason to place the fish in a cryogenic state.

Hi there Felix, See that you have joined but not made an appearance. Come and say hello.... . Don't know if you are new to the hobby, or a fish addict like most of us here, but we're a friendly lot here, and we don't bite he he :oops: Mmm... Bit prmature here... I see you made a post in the Saltwater Section about the same time as me :oops: Regards, Bill (Pegasus)

Hi Craig, Sounds like you have some real choice fish there. Might be Midas or Benny that has the Frontosa's... not too sure. Great to have you on the forum. Look forward to hearing more about your fish Regards, Bill (Pegasus)

Turning off the pump was a big mistake. They suffocate quickly without air if they are overcrowded, and they prefer green water to yeast. If you test the pond water, chances are it will be quite soft and acid from decayed matter.

Nice "Colourful" site here Cees. Might inspire you http://www.barbarabutler.com/index.html Another at, http://www.ronayne.co.nz in Wellington, but they only have four designs

You just didn't read the post John.... Bill said : No probs

Caryl said : Good idea Caryl, but hopefully before the AGM meeting.... how do we set it up ?

Hi John, The MDF I am referring to above is laminated on both sides, and provided the edges are sealed correctly, as mentioned above, the stuff lasts for years. Good quality exterior or marine ply is suitable.... at a cost, but even then invariably needs sealing. Any openings in the lamination will of course lead to swelling if used outside where it will be exposed to the weather. My tools, which include a four foot lathe, routers, bandsaw, skilsaw, benchsaw, scroll saw and planes etc have worked thousands of metres of the stuff, and provided your tools are sharp, and of good quality, then you will have no probs. Dust is a prob, but I have a vacuum I can attatch to most of my gear such as saws and routers.

:oops: :oops: Sorry Caryl and Cees, just glanced at the post A few years back when my woodworking workshop was set up I was going to make these and dolls houses full time for resale. Single or double sided laminated 10mm MDF was the material I was going to use, as at the time I could pick up 8X4 sheets for 5 to 10 bucks apiece. Ensure the edges are fully sealed and the stuff lasts for years. I have two chook houses made from it that are over six years old. There's a site somewhere in England that has plans you can print out, but I've lost the URL. Try the furniture manufacturers that use MDF. They have reject sheets and also sheets that were used to protect the main sheets in transit. These have a slight damage, but usually only from the packing straps. A medioca (average) playhouse retail starts at around 400 dollars, and some go near to two thousand if you want a double storey with porch etc. A car case is another method that can be quickly converted to a PH. They come in both ribbed metal shhet and plywood. The suppliers of these also sell ply sheets, but are usually expensive. Regards, Bill (Pegasus)

Hi Caryl, Here's just one, but if you enter "diy playhouse" in your search engine there are heaps of them http://www.diynet.com/DIY/article/0,2058,2421,00.html Regards, Bill (Pegasus)

Well you guys, I've only been here around nine months, but you have all become like a another family to me, and this forum has become a very important part of my life. Have a great Chrismas you guys, and the best of new years in 2003. Let's make the coming year the best one yet, with more members and more fantastic posts. Happy Days to you all. Take care. Bill (Pegasus)