Pegasus

I was referring to the fan and such internal units being 12v Ira, not the compressor, but as you say, you would probably need a grunty motor to drive it, so there possibly wouldn't be a saving. Don't really know the energy it would take to run one of these as I've only ever seen them insitu, and even then didn't take much notice. On the other hand, it may only have to run for short periods each day. Just a thought

:oops: :oops: :oops: Who's a silly boy then. Didn't spot the drop down. Thanks Cees.

Thanks Warren for your very informative replies. I'm not too clued up in this aspect of water and such, but I'm certainly better informed now, and when you mentioned salinity I must admit I thought of Sodium Chloride. Silly Billy :oops: Hope you don't mind me starting the other thread with the announcement of your name and tank, but I'm hoping we can get other big tank owners to tell us about their projects. All the best with your project. Bill (Pegasus)

Just looking at Bruce's list of activities. How about "Guess That Fish", although you could have done it already. Simple rules, the chair gives the first clue and the amount of attempts, not the class or sub class, but possibly the region only or something. Each member gets one question that may be something like "Is it a bottom dweller", or "Is it a catfish" etc. The same member may not ask twice in a row, but may follow after another person has asked. The chair answers either yes or no, but may add warm or cold or something similar. After x# of attempts the chair reveals the answer. For club nights the winner could get a packet of fish food or something. A new chair is then selected. Would be good fun on the bus trips to the venues for those that travel in groups. Could even work on this board, without the fish food of course:) might be fun, any volunteers to start it rolling . Rules could be the same except that the thread remains only for the quiz and nothing else, and the chair may offer a further clue at their discretion if the going gets tough. The chair need not answer every question, but may answer groups, but must answer each one of the questions posed by the askers names all in one post, ie, "Yes Fred, it is a bottom dweller" etc. The quiz could end after say twenty tries, or perhaps a week, whichever occurred first. The fish in question would have to be fresh water or slightly brackish species and still available to aquarists, either here or overseas, with recognition in the tropical fish books or periodicals. Start a new thread somewhere if you're game, preferably in say the Technical section away from the normal topics. Title it "Name That Fish" and set the ball rolling.

Hi Peoples, I'm not into cooling water as of yet, but have you thought of an air con from a car, there should be heaps knocking around the wreckers yards, and the cost would be a lot lower, although it would be 12volt and need a tranny.

Hi Fee, Sounds like another beauty you have there. Pity about the lack of space, perhaps you might get a buyer here in the T/E section. Got any pics of the 2000ltr we can access via a link, and perhaps a view of the keyhole?

This has got to be one of the biggest home maders in NZ. Are there any bigger ones out there, or even big ones, any size? We haven't heard about them if there are, and I'm sure we would all like to hear about your results.

You certainly have it all meticulously planned out Warren. What a fantastic project, and I, as many others, can just about see the amazing sight it will be once finished. Sound like your going to need shares in your local power company, the heating bills alone will possibly be staggering. I am in absolute awe, and thank you tremendously for your posts and hope you will keep us all informed. Just a little confused about the salinity bit, and the RO abreviation?, thats if you have time. Do the species you mention need the salinity, I know they like it pretty soft and slightly acid. Excellent stuff Warren. Regards Bill (Pegasus)

Hi Warren, Got any future plans for what you might be putting in your new tank, you're gonna have heaps o room. The gravel and plants alone are gonna cost a small fortune, let alone the fish You too may also may need your wetsuit to plant it out as I was joking about, but in your case it might be true. Regards Bill (Pegasus)

Do you find that the clowns tend to act up more at cleaning time when the muck is being stirred up slightly. I noticed this when I kept clowns, although they were only around 5" in length. Funny but the same thing used to happen with the Plecostomus's, but they were 14" or thereabouts. I thought it might have been attributed to their breeding cycle in the rainy seasons when there's heaps of silt in the water?? Do you show any of your fish? Regards Bill (Pegasus)

Hi Joey, The glass you have sounds choice at 6mm, and if, and I say if, it was me I would turn it into a 4'x18"x18" (1200mmx450mmx450mm) tank, but due to the depth of the tank I would use braces all around the upper edges and across the centre, even possibly two braces. 40mm wide would do for these. Go careful, no accidents please Your cutting will allow you to get a front and a back, base and two ends from four sheets of the size you have, with enough bits left to act as braces. Might be worth getting it cut for you to start, making sure the front and back overlap the two sides as in my article. It would certainly look brilliant at that depth, (I'm jealous) and my advise is to read over the article again and make sure your glass is spotless before sealing or cutting. They say practice makes perfect, and I made a lot of mistakes cutting glass in my early attempts, so if you have access to some offcuts get yourself a decent glass cutter, preferably diamond, but not essential, and practice practice practice. Soon you'll be able to cut narrow pieces effortlessly. Once the tank is "Taped" as in the article it should only take ten minutes or so to apply the sealer. BOL (Best O Luck) PS: Can you ship some of that glass over here in a big envelope . Keep in touch Regards Bill (Pegasus)

You are quite right Caryl, my books also say they only live for two years, but they also state that the expected life of these fish is greatly extended in cooler climates than Siam. I came across another type of Betta that I had no knowledge of. It's name is B.brederi (Myers) in my book, and it is a mouth brooder, or breeder as it says in the book. Very similar to the splendens, but with completely different nesting habits It apparently collects the eggs in a nook in its anal fin. Interesting reading. Regards Bill (Pegasus)

Hi Ira, Not too sure how long the Betta's live, but I've had them for three years or so, perhaps someone else might have more info. Could be your "Old Fella" is a little intimidated by his big tank mates, or perhaps needs a bit of female company in a seperate tank where they might provide you with some fry Does he look healthy, and does he get a chance at the food?

Thanks Cees, I hadn't had time so search for the info. Here's the info Joey and Michael, compliments of Cees, hope it helps you out. Regards Bill (Pegasus)

Hi Joey, and you Michael, I've personally cut glass up to 1/2" thick with few failures, but the laminated glass you mention Michael will not cut successfully. Laminated is just what it says, 'layers of glass bonded together' It's designed not to break, so it may be a good idea not to attemp to cut it. Never used shower door glass, which has often got ripples in it, but hey, for $11 bucks it's worth a try, I certainly would. Somewhere in these files is a reference to the tensile strength of glass for a particular thickness. I'll dig it up and post it here for you. Thanks for the input. One word of warning Once you make your first one you'll get addicted Hey Joey, how are those clowns doing (lotsa babies I hope ) I'm not a glass expert by any means, and glass is a material that reacts differently to many situations, but to be quite honest I can't really see why tempered glass can't be used. I do believe, and I may be wrong, that many of the commercial tanks we see today have at least one pane of tempered glass. The 6mm stuff you mention, is that 5foot by one point five foot, as it looks like inches on your post. (could be my failing eyes ) Gotta dig that old curved windscreen out and give it a try Now about those clown loaches........ Great to hear from you both. Keep postin Regards Bill (Pegasus)

This untouched section was tooooo much to resist. Where are all you Gourami and Betta lovers. This section is just waiting for you Cmon people, post your stories and probs here.

Hi Warren, What a great project. Rolled Hollow Section was obviously the way to go for a tank this big. Hope you are on the ground floor due to the weight Some pics would be choice if you have some. Kelly Tartons beware, you have competition approaching Regards Bill (Pegasus)

Welcome aboard Joey from Australia, lots of good people here, with heaps of good posts. We expect to hear shortly about those kribs and clowns of yours Regards Bill (Pegasus)

Hi members, Sometimes when waiting for fry to drop or for egg scatterers to spawn we sometimes lose more fry or eggs than we need to and can't keep a constant watch to see the happy moment happen. The following is just a simple idea that can be used for both livebearers and the egg scatterers, and will give you a maximum results with few losses and will cost you only a few dollars. Most commercial breeding traps for livebearers should be avoided, as they are small and tend to stress your fish. Try this. In the garden centres there is a product called "Netlon" which is a semi rigid green plastic mesh with holes around 2-3mm. The idea is to make a mesh basket of sorts that will fit in your tank. Find a cardboard box just slightly smaller than your tank you will use. Cut down each corner to the base and lay out flat. This is your pattern. Take your "Netlon" or similar product and cut to the shape of the laid out flat box. Then seal each corner of the Netlon to form a box of mesh that will fit in your tank. This can be done with a hot knife or glue gun, but be careful. Drop the Netlon box into your tank and introduce some plants, and your gravid female or fish you are ready to spawn. The fry, or eggs, when dropped will drop through the holes in the mesh to safety. Ensure the "box" is clear of the tank base by around 3" and secure it to the top of the tank with clothes pegs. The above is ideal for all livebearers, danios, barbs and such, as the eggs will drop easily through the mesh before being eaten. Several females can be left quite safely in this manner, without stress and your concern about eggs or fry being eaten is removed. The traps can of course be made to any size to suit your tank and do not have to fill the whole area. Bill.

Thanks Fee and Cees for the interesting replies. It's a project for the winter months (I hope ) so Ill consider all my options before I start. Thanks again Bill (Pegasus)

Hi Fee, I was just browsing the net last night and typed in "Seahorses" There seems to be a lot of info, but little from NZ, although I understand there may be a supplier over here somewhere. Love to hear more about your trials as they progress, salinity, etc. I fed mine mainly brine shrimp, and the air supply was quite strong, and I'm wondering if this was also a mistake on my behalf. Great to hear from you. Best regards, Bill (Pegasus)

List looks good Cees, with handy info, thanks. If you need a hand organising the plant site (Pics,data) I would be pleased to help. Sorry about the ticker, just wondered if you could reset the clock on the site to NZ time. Bill (Pegasus)

Been reading the thread above with great interest. A long time dream of mine has been to keep and breed the Hippocampus species, namely H.abdoninalis, (Big bellied), H. hippocampus, (short nosed), and the H.guttulatus, and H.ramulosus.. I had some for a while but after a few months they died, despite feeding with brine shrimp and replacing the water with natural offshore seawater. Just wondering now if it was the heat, which in my tank was in the lower 70s F. The net gives a lot of info, but first hand knowledge of success in NZ would be helpful. Bill (Pegasus)

A warm welcome to NZ Fishrooms Jinx. Tell us something about your fish. Bill (Pegasus)

Maintaining your pump. Most pumps today are pretty efficient, and for the hours they work seem to give good results, but sometimes the output becomes less, or the pump becomes noisy. Here are one or two tips you might try, but please, unplug the pump first. Most of the vibrator pumps have an induction coil that creates a magnetic field across it’s poles. This magnetic field switches from north to south rapidly and in effect is switching on and off at a very high rate. Some pumps have a double diaphragm, others a single, whereas some pumps use a magnet on the end of the vibrating arm, while others rely on a steel arm which is mounted across the two poles of the coil. After a long period of use your pump can create several problems and these are outlined below. Lack of air. Firstly pop the back of the pump off, after you unplug it of course. You will see an arm that is fastened to a rubber diaphragm, or two in the case of a double action unit. Carefully examine the arrangement of the parts, and if you feel confident remove the rubber diaphragm cap and examine it carefully. It could be perished, or have a fine break in it, or even lost its rigidity, which will cause your pump to lose output or to be noisy. While you have the cap off examine the valves. Pumps vary from make to make, and some have two valves, others have one. All the valve is, is just a small membrane of fine rubber that opens and closes at each stroke of the pump, but if this is worn or perished, or not seating correctly, you will lose on output of air. There is a filter in the back of all pumps that I know of, and this should be clean and free of obstructions. Your household vacuum will clean this pretty good, just be careful you don’t lose it up the tube. Replacement parts are available for most branded pumps, and the valve unit is usually sold as a complete part and is really easy to replace, while the diaphragm is usually sold separately and again is a simple task to replace. Noisy Pumps. This is more noticeable on single action pumps with only one diaphragm. If the diaphragm is the least bit worn or soft it allows the stroke of the arm over the coil to move further than it should, and in doing so the arm strikes the metal faces of the coil creating a clattering. The simple cure for this is a new diaphragm, but as a temporary measure you might be able to adjust the arm internally slightly to allow some clearance. Normally this clearance is adjusted with the external adjusting device on the outside of your pump, but sometimes no matter what you do you can’t get the pump to be quiet AND produce enough air. Again, a new diaphragm may solve your problem, and is far cheaper than a new pump. Pumps should never be mounted below the water line of your tank. The reason is that a siphoning action can occur and not only ruin your pump, but could cause a short circuit, or empty your tank overnight in the event of a pump failure. They should also not be switched off for any length of time, especially when attached to an undergravel filter. The bacteria will multiply so rapidly that your tank could foul in just a few hours. If you are not sure about any of the above contact me. Safety comes first. Bill (Pegasus)