chimera

You are confused. There are holes in bottom AND top Question is about the top holes. As per the original diagram, holes B, D and F (which are on the lower back) are moved to the bottom of the tank and holes A, C and E remain in about the same place. I currently have the top of holes A, C and E about 20mm below the water surface. Is this about right?

back on topic: just got the design changed so the holes are at the bottom now. I was looking at how i would plumb it up AND access the tank from the back (as its going in the wall). At the bottom will mean alot more room to work with. I have the bottom holes 150mm in from the back panel spaced as per the original diagram (except the last which is now 1100mm across) Question: how far below the water line should the TOP holes at the back be drilled? they will all be 35mm holes. do you have the holes just above or just below the water line? I assume either just below OR just above with piping going under the water. also, i just ordered a 3/4" sea swirl for the return.

what i originally wrote came from a piece of "marketing" from a web site selling it (hence why it was enclosed in double quotes). dosing vitamins for fresh or saltwater fish shouldn't make any difference should it - at that level, they all need the same nutrients surely? Anyways, I was purely querying to see if anyone else has used this stuff and wanted to know what the advantages were. I've got spring cleaning to do this weekend so I might make up a concoction of anti-red (to kill those nasty germs) and biovit (to leave that fresh smelling feeling) then laugh at you all as I become an instant multi-billionaire household cleaning product entreprenuer...

this is the saltwater forum, take a guess...

I scraped off as much cyano from the rocks last night then mixed up enough RODI/ASW for a 20% water change. I let it aerate last night then changed water this morning (I lost about 5 litres on the floor when the tube coming from the eheim pump popped out the sump and sprayed around the room like a 14 year old boy with his first porno) I also tested the water coming out the nitratereductor (bacteria have been building up for a few weeks now) and Nitrate levels are about 1ppm compared to the main tank at 20ppm so that should help significantly too (relating to overall quality of water chemistry that is, not the cyano). Anyways, I will monitor it over the next few days and let you know the results.

sarcastic bastards. i havent used it and currently dont intend too, just asking if anyone else has used it and what advantages/disadvantages they believe it offers. quite a simple question really.

when i got my tank (bought 2nd hand) i got a heap of test kits, calcium powder, etc etc. Also got a bottle of "Biovit". From searching the web: "Biovit is a multi-vitamin compound for use in fresh and salt water aquaria. Its formulation is suited to both fish and invertebrates. Regular use enhances growth, strengthens the immune system and increases the willingness to spawn. biovit contains vitamins B1, B6, B12, E and other essential elements. biovit may be added directly into the aquarium water, or to the food prior to feeding." Has anyone used this stuff? Comments?

yeah will do. will post results after the weekend!!! got plumbing to do this weekend too, argh, a busy one!

agreed pies. back to my original questions: where's the best place to source this from? is it simply a matter of washing it and putting it in? what grain is best suited?

no, im saying you cant completely eradicate it - and you just reiterated my original point, "it's always there, waiting". spawn of satan that stuff. errr,... yeah, anti-red :oops: did a half dose and all seems well so far...

ok, i will give it a whirl just as an experiment. will change water with ASW this weekend. reading maybe biased though as i dosed a small amount of anti-red to help reduce cyano until i get water chemistry back on track (pies = :evil: ) i think i will end up getting a larger protein skimmer at some stage too so if anyone's in the market for a deltec 1060 (in-sump, rated to 1,000 litres) let me know!!! it does work very well, am just thinking it might not be sufficient when i go to 1,000 litres as most articles mention getting a skimmer rated for double your tank size...

coolish,... but too plastic/fake looking...

pies - just because you cant see it, doesn't mean it's not there. it is interesting to note also that the slime you "see" is not the actual algae or cyanobacteria, but what they exsude. very good article on eradicating cyano: http://netclub.athiel.com/cyano/cyanos2.htm

i tested the NSW before i did a water change on saturday. it read 0ppm.

ooops, i meant 0.20. i realise that 0.10 is critical and 0.25 coral growth is retarded according to the test kit.

tank is overstocked and i know that, it was when i bought it 2nd hand, hence the upgrade to the larger tank as i dont want to get rid of the (9 fish and 3 shrimps) i currently have. phosphates are low, about 0.5ppm according to the salifert test. they *were* higher about a month ago but I put phosorb (i think thats what it's called) next to the skimmer. cyano is a very natural occurence everywhere and it is actually quite interesting reading about it. i dont mind if i have a bit of cyano in the tank, i just dont want it to start to take over the tank. pies - the reason why i wasnt sure if it was cyano or not is that some of my LR has a very dark red corraline on it, very similar colour to the cyano. the test was to scrape it off, cyano came off easy the other stuff was stuck like glue. from what i've read, IMHO once you have cyano, you can never get rid of it, ever. it will stay away in the right conditions but as soon as anythings go downhill, it comes out like a hooker at a stag party. and yes, I use NSW.

i want to get new sand for the new tank. where's the best place to source this from? is it simply a matter of washing it and putting it in? what grain is best suited? i hear about 1/2" deep is typically about right?

UPDATE: well it is cyano because there are small bubbles on it which is apparently a good indication. i do have high nitrate levels (20ppm) in my tank, partly to blame because of high stocking levels (soon to be fixed by a larger tank) and partly to blame because of my own negligence in missing a water change. from what i can read, it is "red slime algae", the one type of cyano that does not need nitrates to continue to "grow". so eliminating nitrates (which will obviously help in other areas) may not stop cyano. from researching more, i believe that the problem is due to a combination of problems rather than one problem: high nitrates, lack of water movement and more recently found out, poor lighting. there is plenty of information to suggest that poor lighting will cause cyano outbreaks. again, the new tank will mean ample water flow plus new MH's shortly will solve the lighting issue. Water changes at 30% every week rather than 20% every 2 weeks should keep the tank stable enough til the upgrade. (this has been posted purely to let others know of my findings incase they run into the same issue)

cheers guys, it's not a big load of corals anyways, it's more the fish i was concerned about. will try and get the water chemistry as close as possible. it will probably do my tank some bloody good actually, because its overstocked now its hard to keep nitrates down without massive water changes weekly anyways!!!

When my new tank eventually goes in, water volume (main tank and sump) will increase from around 400 litres to approximately 1,000 litres. This is effectively like doing a 60% water change (NSW) in one hit. Will this cause problems to corals/fish or is there still enough original water for this to be ok?

well, not a great deal of work done on the room in the weekend. did finish off the last wall though and built most of the stand for the 4 foot refugium. Went to Chesters plumbing today in Albany (next to HFF) and spoke to a really helpful guy Peter. He gave me a good price on a few bits of plumbing (eg: those grey pipes with blue taps pies was talking about) got 40mm ones for $19. Anyways, here's a (somewhat boring but an update nonetheless) latest pic (you can see the tub sitting on the floor between the 2 stands, it will be fixed directly above where its sitting) Once the 4 foot refugium stand is fixed to the wall, another slightly higher stand will be built next to it to hold tank for top-up water. Plumbing comes in after that! Getting the stands perfectly level was a mission and took heaps of 1mm trimming here and there to get it right!

love the rock layout, exactly how i intend to setup my new tank except left side rock formation will be higher. all good!!! so wheres some pic's of this clark guys tank? you live closest

wanna translate that site for us reef?

indeed,... *yawn*...

Im taking into account what is stamped on the outside pipe. it states 25mm which i assume is the inside diameter of the pipe. as i say, it is theoretical and there are so many other factors that need to be taken into account. at least it gives an approximate figure to work with. if the 25mm stamped on the outside means a 19mm inside diameter, i would be absolutely stunned they would do that... ...and the above is assuming my calculation are correct - which i believe they are