chimera

i seriously hope brian was taking the piss... 8)

Layton - that doesnt explain why. How does a coral notice the difference between winter and summer? I dont believe a coral is "happier" in winter or "happier" in summer and as such will keep the temperature the same all year round. I was referring to corals as stupid, not fish :-?

so what makes me wrong and you right? i realise temp changes can trigger spawning, but i dont believe it is absolutely necessary to do - same goes with fresh water.

everyone is agreeing about the same thing: - a 4 degree temp swing in one day is bad. - a 4 degree temp swing over a season is not. in a closed aquarium, IMO, I dont believe simulating seasonal changes is that important. especially when most fish are bred in captivity and corals, well, they're too stupid to know otherwise

Dont think so. Temperature swings in tropical areas wont happen within 3 minutes. Imagine pouring 200 litres of 15 degree NSW into a 1,000 litre tank of 25 degree water. That would pull down the temperature pretty damn quick and stress the fish/corals. IMO, certain areas of ocean dont typically go from 25 degrees to 20 degrees as you're swimming through it (in tropical areas, not NZL!!!). Normally it will change gradually a degree at a time which gives fish time to adjust. And anyway, I thought most coral reef fish were territorial and wont swim too far from their reef? The idea of adding water slowly via pump over a period of 1/2 to 1 hour makes sense though. Might try that next time!

I just bought a 240V 4 pot relay to switch my hallides on with. Neutral and earth will be permanantely connected and phase will be switched on and off through the relay via an HPM digital timer. I wanted to continue using the digital timer as it has battery backup to maintain time and settings if the power goes off (rather than the analog/pin style) Hooking up this weekend so will let you know how it goes

yeah, but i get what you mean

bwaaa haa haaaa! i bet you do big boy... let's split them up then. steve can have 1 1/2 and i'll have 1/2 nah thats cool i dont need any. if you have any cleaner shrimps going cheap though....

Customs duty is calculated on the value of the goods (some are exempt). GST is then calculated on the duty inclusive value plus international freight and insurance. Products (except ciggy's) under $50 are exempt from duty and GST. There are also certain products types that are completely exempt from duty too. See here for a list: http://www.customs.govt.nz/importers/private+importers/customs+charges.asp No matter how you look at it, you will get shafted by Customs... :-?

oh i see, i thought you replaced it all in one big hit. 12 litres per hour would give the heaters enough time to maintain water temperature. cheers.

i have two, if you have any spare i'll grab one!

Pies, what effect does this have on your overall tank temperature? (ie: changing 20% NSW unheated) What temp is the NSW prior to being added?

At 50% alcohol, 0.7939 @ 15.5 degrees C. The good thing is that its only 2/3 the number of calories of beer (at same proof but not including the mix) Anyways!....

It's probably a correct reading. Mine's the same - salinity too high (refractometer) and "roughly" double checked using a hydrometer. Interestingly, the SG of pure alcohol is 0.792 However, the higher the SG of wine, the higher the alcohol content (due to higher sugar content)

Ph = 8.2 Salinity = 1.028 (yeah I know, too high. slowly bringing down) Nitrates = 0.2ppm Phosphates = 0ppm Magnesium = 1230 (a little too low) Calcium = 420 DKH = 6.4 (a little low)

I got a 4 Watt Coralvue Moonlight. Does anyone else have one of these? If so, what spec's for the transformer do I need?! Reef - you were supposed to let me know but obviously forgot - if you're reading, please post!

JoeBlog - wanna make a couple of bucks?!!!...

korralin c3001 calcium reactor from ReefOnline in Aussie http://www.reefonline.com.au natalie is really helpful, great pre-sales service. however i did feel that once the money was paid, the service or speed of delivery was no longer as important as promised. not that much cheaper than ordering locally after shipping and GST. perastaltic dosing pump from STM in UK http://www.stm-shop.co.uk crap service, they delivered the wrong model. couldnt order using nzl credit card. had to get my aunty in london to pay and I paid her. my cousin brought it back for me. they didnt offer any compensation or extra service for their screw ups. weren't overly interested in my order. price was ok, nothing overly cheap though (especially after shipping) iwaki 55rlt pump from Marine Depot in the USA http://www.marine-depot.com/ brilliant (i mean BRILLIANT) pre-sales service. extremely fast response - within 5 - 10 minutes email replies (before 12pm NZL time as it's after 6pm they day before over there!) Josh provided quite possibly the best service I have ever had in dealing with purchasing a product. Couldnt commend him more. Of course, the pump hasnt been delivered yet so I wont speak too soon Should arrive 4 - 6 weeks (because they have to order in the 240V model) pump works out to be 35% cheaper AFTER shipping and nzl gst. Only (minor) issue was that I had to pay via PayPal as they need address verification if paying via Credit card and my bank wouldnt allow that.

read my original anemone FAQ: http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf very good read.

I made the comb "slots" about 15mm high to compensate for anything blocking up half the comb. the water sits about 5mm up the comb so a good 10mm to spare. the water level sits about 25mm below the top of the glass.

cheers fins, that was probably the issue. netted into some water, so out of water for about 10-15 seconds. will remember that for next time

Could be, if I lived near Takapuna... but I doubt it,... and i heat the water

serious alright! 370 litres per minute or 22,000 litres per hour at 3 metres head, I wonder if thats sufficient for my 2 footer... :lol: :lol: :lol: http://www.iwakiwalchem.com/iwaki/literature/Specsheets/allmdhfcurves.pdf Need shares in ya local power company too!!! This thing sucks 1.5Kw (or 2HP). My new 55RLT does 0.08Kw (or 0.11HP)

Beast or not to beast?! http://www.trademe.co.nz/House-garden/Tools/Other/auction-16193786.htm

The only cleaner shrimp that was moved to the new tank died the night he was moved I think I stressed him out a bit too much the poor little bugger. The Anemone went walkabouts that night and his remains were gone that morning, at least he got a good feed :-? So,... if anyone is breaking down their tank in the Auckland area and are selling cleaner shrimp(s) (or any type of shrimp for that matter) let me know, I want to buy a few but dont want to pay (the ridiculous) retail price for them Send me a PM. Cheers.