Hammerhead

I've been using an Eheim Professional filter (without the heater) for over 10 years on my tank and I'd have no hesitation in recommending one. I don't like the idea of having filtration and heating in one unit because if it packs up it's going to have a much greater effect on your environment than if just the heating or filtration alone has a problem. In fact I went to the extreme of having 2 smaller heaters at either end of the tank instead of one larger one so if one heater packs up the other will keep the environment steady while I replace the faulty unit. Probably because of my IT background I'm a big fan of redundancy. I would recommend you have a supply of replacement O-rings if you buy the Eheim because it's really irritating when you shred one and the unit starts leaking. I guarantee you that none of the local stores will have one in stock when you need one and I just love hearing that it'll be 2 weeks away. Also get a small sachet of the Eheim grease or lubricant to keep all the seals in good condition.

Actually that's quite interesting as I was a bit paranoid when I first introduced CO2 to my tank but the pH level didn't budge from what it was originally. I put it down to the fact that I have it on a timer and I have the CO2 on during the day and the air bubbles on at night. The CO2 is certainly having an effect though because the plants have gone nuts.

Definitely not exposed to sunlight. All the hoses run between the back of the tank and the living room wall which is quite a dark cavity. The only place the hoses are exposed is where they enter the tank. It may be the lack of light causing the issue. That's interesting. I might re-route my CO2 line so it feeds into the inlet pipe of the filter and see if that has any effect on it. If so I might end up running a split feed. I've got a 4.5kg tank so if I'll hardly notice if I have increase the feed a little to keep the filter line clear.

Nope, it's a brown algae and I clean it every 3-4 weeks and have no choice in the matter because as I stated above the water flow from the filter reduces to a trickle. A blast with some decent water pressure from the garden hose leaves a nice pile of brown slime on the back lawn.

Hi Something that has irritated me for years is a brown slimey algae that grows in the filter pipes of my tank and gradually reduces the water flow. There isn't any inside the tank itself but just in the filter system so every few weeks when I give the tank a good clean I have to remove all the filter pipes and blast them out with the garden hose to clear them. Any ideas what might be causing this and how to get rid of it? It would be nice to clean out the tank without having to dismantle the filter system everytime. The filter is an Eheim Professional and the pipes are a transparent green. I have been informed that the reason they are green is to filter out the light wavelength that the algae feeds off but it appears from practical experience that this is not the case. Thanks

Thanks but I'm after complete 'light-fittings' and not 'tubes'. Trust me, I've spent the time and looked.

Tried that thanks. Information is very sparse. They list length and width but not height of the fittings. I also need to know things like power cord exit points etc which isn't really information that is commonly listed on websites. Thanks

Thanks but I'm pretty sure my glasses are working Ok unless the stores keep their light fittings in 2 different areas of the store. When I looked there was one model of light fitting labelled T5 and another model of which there were 3 different sizes all labelled T8 which is not what I want. Yes they do have a good range of tubes however I want a complete light fitting. True, light fittings can be ordered in but they won't order unless I am committing to purchase the item and if that's the case then I may as well buy one of the units on Trademe. I have limited space under my tank hood so I want to ensure that the unit I buy is going to be suitable for the purpose hence I am asking if there is anywhere in Wellington that has a range of light fittings that I can look at in person. From what I have seen The Pet Centre and Animates only stock one model of T5 light fitting and regardless of the length and the power rating of the unit it is not going to be suitable for my application, I.E. it sits too high. I'm not really bothered about discounts etc. A discount is no use if the light fitting is not suitable. Admittedly I have not looked at The Pet Centre in Porirua as I live in the Hutt and work in town however I think it is reasonable to assume that they would stock the same model as the Lower Hutt store unless someone tells me different.

Thanks for the replies but as I said above the one T5 model they had at Animates and the Pet Centre is unsuitable. They only had one example at each store as well so it seems funny to me that they only selling that one at 30% off unless they plan on getting more stock in. When I look on Trademe there are quite a range of brands and models available and most of them appear to be from retail stores selling on Trademe unfortunately they all seem to be situated around Auckland. What about that big outfit that used to be in Palmerston North? Can't remember the name it's been so many years since I visited it. Do they sell lighting there? Might be an excuse to go for a drive one Saturday morning.

Hi Is there anywhere in Wellington that has a reasonable range of T5 light fittings suitable for aquariums. My current T8's are nearing replacement after about 9-10 years so I'm going to upgrade to T5's after having just recently installed pressurised CO2 to my tank. I have looked in Animates in Lower Hutt and Kaiwharawhara as well as the Pet Centre in the Hutt but they only have one model of T5 which is not suitable. I would prefer 2x light fittings approx 90cm long with twin tubes. Need a relatively low profile unit to fit under the tank hood. There are some available on Trademe but the vendors tend to use brochure type photos and I prefer to look at the units personally to ensure they will be suitable for my requirements. Yes I could make my own but for the mucking around involved to achieve the result I want it's really not worth it to me. Thanks in advance.