henry

That sounds ideal. Does anyone know of suppliers in Wellington and/or Auckland, and approximate costs etc.? Also, implications on water chemisty? Does pumice contribute to raising KH? Cheers

Essentially, yes! I am thinking of using these for Mbuna set up, so the design brief for aquascaping media reads -either containing caves/crevices or able to be stacked to created many different caves/crevices -readily moveable to change around set up to reduce territoriality when adding fish -as near in appearance to natural rocks as possible (not a huge fan of the terracotta pot/drain pipe/slate tile Mbuna set ups) Obviously natural rocks would fulfill most of these requirements, but are extremely heavy to move around, and can damage the tank if accidentally dropped etc. So I was envisaging making some 'synthetic' rocks (perhaps with built in caves or tunnels etc. out of a material that was just denser than water, and then coating in silicone and rolling in the same sand used as substrate for a natural look.

Hello all, May I first make the disclaimer that I have an extremely limited knowledge of chemistry, cement, concrete, or in fact polysterne balls. What would happen if you mixed up a cement premix with a mixture of small gravel and polysterene bean bag balls? Would you be able to create a 'just denser than water' light weight aquarium rock suitable for siliconing sand/gravel to.. or just an unholy mess that wouldnt set? Any thoughts appreciated, Cheers, Henry.

Plan would be to use either one or two high flow-rate external cannisters so hooking up to an existing tank or using media from existing filters is very possible.

Thanks for your input everyone... Only problem would be obtaining and getting rid of the goldies! Has anyone had any experience just hooking a filter onto an existing tank for a month or two before hooking onto new tank? Is this effective? How is everyones mbuna tanks's going anyway?

Hi everyone, Have been reading aboat setting up a Mbuna biotope type tank, prevailing thought seems to be that to avoid territorial aggression it is best to slightly overstock these tanks, and to add all (or as many as possible) tank inhabitants at once, and all the same size (ie juvenile). Obviously this poses problems for allowing the tank to cycle properly. Does anyone have any experience in establishing such a tank from scratch? Some possible solutions I though of were: 1. Add artifical amonia gradually to tank over a 30 day period, monitoring Amonia, Nitrites and Nitrates daily, to allow bacteria to cultivate prior to stocking. 2. Cycle tank with a hardy fish such as goldfish, then remove goldifsh and increase temp / alter water parameters prior to stocking with Mbuna. 3. Run filters on an established tank for a month or two, then run on new tank for a week or so prior to stocking. 4. Make no attempt to cycle tank artifically, but carefully monitor all parameters daily and conduct daily water changes to slow down / draw out the cycle process. If any one has succesfully carried out any of these methods, or has other thought, I would love to hear them. Keep warm and dry everyone , Cheers, Henry.

Thank you for all this - once again very thorough and informative!

Thank you for this detailed response to my queries. Your descriptions, explanations and photos are excellent. I have a few further queries regarding your setup, and while I considered sending a private message I feel that your advice would definately benefit others who (like me) have a limited experience with planted setups and a desire to extend their knowledge. Again, if and when you are able to respond to these queries, your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Firstly, I assume this is just on a timer working in the opposite cycle to your lights, to match C02 supply respiration cycle of the plants? If using a brewed C02 system, is a continuous supply of C02 during the night a significant problem? What do glass diffusors look like, and how do they work? I am only familiar with the reactor type set up, where a C02 bubble slowly works its way through obstacles or a spiralled track against a flow of water, and so dissolves before being allowed to reach the surface. Also - where have you sourced your C02 equipment from, including the regulator and the valve that you mentioned. This is an impressive array.. by the looks of it you buy all the macro fertilisers generically from chemical suppliers? Is there an advantage to doing this over buying commercially prepared aquarium fertilisers? Also where do you buy these chemicals from? Also, with your lighting set up, where did you find the 55W 2' fluros? Have been keeping my eyes on lights available in LFS and also Mitre10 and SwitchedOnGardner, highest wattage 2' tubes I have seen is around 20W. ALternatives I was considering were a single 150W Metal Hallide, which obviously would be pricey, or a 130W 'Growlamp' from Switched on Gardner, which is a compact fluro, fits into a standard household screw fitting but has a much higher wattage then most compact fluros such as those purchased at the supermarket etc. Lastly I havent seen a heater? Is your Eheim Professional one of the heating models? If so, how is this going? Worth the extra expense? You mentioned in previous post about not going for root feeders in selecting plants.. does this mean that (like laterite or special substrates) that substrate heating is not important either? Once again, thank you for your time. Any thoughts or advice you can provide here Dubbie would be most appreciated. Thoughts from anyone else are also most welcome of course! Cheers, Henry.

No mention of shipping to NZ on the site, although surely as this retailer is only located in QLD this wouldnt be too much of a dificulty, they ship any order anywhere in Australia for AUD7.50. They also promise to beat any competitors price (in Australia only, I would presume) by 10%.

Have been investigating options in controlling heaters, lights and c02 solenoids. The Aquacontroller Jr from Neptune in the US is a dedicated aquarium controller which is supplied with temperature and pH probes, displays this information on an LCD screen and can interface with a PC using the supplied free software AquaNotes Lite. The unit can controll heaters, lights and c02 solenoids using programmed paramater trigger levels, and timers, using x-10 modules (one controller, and one switch module for each appliance, not supplied with unit). The unit itself (with probes) costs around NZ$350, and X10 switches from Australia cost around NZ$70 each, with an X10 controller costing around NZ$150. Total cost for complete automation around $800. The next option I looked at was using a dedicated computer as a controller, running a freeware/shareware software package such as DrAquarium. In addition to the X10 switches ad controllers (priced above), a USB input unit with temperature and pH probes would be needed, such as DrDAQ at NZ$350, and the cost of a dedicated computer would need to be included (say, around $400 secondhand?). Total cost for complete automation around $1200, but advantages of monitoring and presenting info on screen at any time, and also completely expandable to control an infinite number of tanks, appliances and parameters. Also possibility of future enhancements such as UPS, email or txt alerts etc etc. The last option is simply to use separate control devices for each appliance. Timers for lights and night ligths are around $20 each. The best price on a pH controller for C02 is some I have found on Australian eBay at around NZ$150, and the best price on a heater controller I have found is around NZ$200. Total price for complete automation around $400, but disadvantages of many pieces of equipment, and no possibility of future expansion or enhancement, as exists with either of the above options. I would love to hear of anyone elses experiences with Aquarium automation, especially computer based systems or the dedicated aquarium controllers, and X-10 switches... specifically where they have obtained such equipment from NZ and how effective such systems have been. Also details on what ingenious systems people have devised to avoid these expensive systems? Cheers, Henry.

Was browsing products from Australian mail order site www.aquariumproducts.com.au, and noticed new category of power filters, 'tank top' filters, all manufactured by Mozoo. These seem to operate just as the integral filters in Jebo and AquaOne 'all in one' aquariums do. The only part intruding into the tank itself is an intake tube, water flows through media in a container sitting on the tank lid and then flows back into the tank. Very similar to 'Hang on Tank' filters, but look a lot tidier, easier to access and can be larger. The site claims these are the number one selling filter in Asia. These could also be adapted so that water flows through a shallow container sitting on the tank lid housing heaters, c02 reactors, thermometers etc., a kind of reverse sump that could be easily accessed. The prices are also excellent, 35.00 AUD for 1000 lph model. Link to this retailer is here: http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/category83_1.htm Thoughts?

This tank is absolutely beautiful, congratulations! A few questions.. Firstly, is the C02 controlled with a pH sensorand solenoid, or have you simply adjusted the flow to maintain a relatively stable pH? If so, how was this acheived and was it tricky? Did you have the tank custom made, or did you mange to find a 2'x2'x2' in a retail shop? How is the Fluval internal working out? With a slightly higher load of biological matter with leaves and roots etc was considering a reasonably high flow rate, probably at least 1000lph, and most probably external to preserve the enviornment within the tank. Did you use laterite whe laying the substrate? And do you dose with fertiliser? How often is it necessary to trim plants etc? No hurry in posting this information, your input and advice is greatly appreciated. Cheers, Henry

Hello everyone, This is an interesting topic, heating from the bottom of the tank is mentioned in almost every article about planted tanks. I would also really appreciate a copy of your instructions Caryl, but only if and when its possible, I certainly appreciate your advice and assistance. I also have a few questions on this subject - 1. Where do people obtain heater controllers from? Many articles reccoment them for controlling heaters (eg use two heaters, set both on max and use controller to switch heaters on/off to maintain temp), and for under tank heating, but few suppliers of LFS seem to stock them. 2. Is it possible to provide all the heat necessary for maintaining water temp just using under tank heating, or must it always be supplemented using immersable heaters. Any thoughts, advice, answers would be appreciated. Cheers, Henry.

Hi everyone, been awhile since I last graced these pages with my presence, am currenlty living without an aquarium of any form due to living arrangements. Looking forward (as always) to the next aquarium project. I have always liked the thought of a cube shaped aquarium, especially a planted cube tank, something about this shape looks great, and the challenge or creating an environment that is viewable from all four sides adds to the concept. Would love to see any pictures or hear descriptions of cube shaped tank projects, especially planted tanks. Cheers, Henry.

How big is your c02 brewing receptacle? I have used a 2.25L coke bottle, and I fill it around half way with the yeast mixture. The mixture never gets anywhere near the top of the bottle. Ensuring the brewing receptacle is thoroughly sterilized prior to setting it up each time will also ensure no rogue yeast cultures are in the brew.. and it will produce c02 for longer. This may be the reason each of your brews react differently. Henry

as mentioned in my reply to 'hand in hand question', i've noticed inline heaters (that connect to external filters in or outflow tubes) beginning to appear on trademe. i've yet to see these in local stores but have seen them on american retailers websites for around USD 25.00 they seem like a great idea.. remove clunky heater (and extra power cord) from tank, circulate water past heater, and two could be connected in series as backup.. anyones experiences with these or information about local availability or prices would be great henry

most authorities i've read have mentioned 5cm above substrate as optimum position for internal or external filter intake... i guess it depends on other fixtures in the tank, such as airstones, which would assist in water movement? as for reducing visible equipment in the tank here here! i've noticed 'inline heaters' which connect to external filter plumbing are beginning to appear on trademe, although i've not yet seen them in local retail shops.. they are available online from america at around USD 25.00. i won't hijack this post with a discussion on inline heaters, so will start a new post.. would like to hear anyones experiences or information about local availability.. please reply to my new post. henry

no, i'm probably misunderstanding this thread from the plans of the original post, the jets seem to be located beneath (or within) the substrate, to stop debris settling on the gravel and so make regular gravel vacuumin unnecessary. my question was why an ug plate wasnt used instead of multiple jets - surely an ug plate with water flowing up through it would be more effective in preventing debris settling on the substrate then several jets? my reference to the biological function of ug filtration was admittedly unrelated i would be interested in hearing from anybody who uses reverse flow ug filtration OR any sort of ug 'jet' system - in particular how effective such systems are in keeping gravel clean, and whther such systems actually can replace regular vacuuming apolagies if these queries are off-topic for this thread :oops: henry

i like the idea of incorporating a reverse flow undergravel system in a filter set up.. to maximise biological filtration and aid removal of debris etc. my question is this.. what is the advantage of using several multiple jets (as the setup on the page to which the original post linked did), over simply using a traditional (or diy) ug plate upon which the substrate sat, providing flow through the entire substrate? any thoughts on this, and experiences of reverse flow ug systems would be appreciated. henry

again.. dont profess to have any experience in this field but.. large scale compressors that i've seen on retailers display tanks all seem to have a large air tube (much bigger than standard air pump tubing) that feeds the smaller ones. the air pressure required to adequately feed 50 separate lines would probably exceed that able to be carried in standard tubing. i'm intrigued.. what does this project involve? :lol:

while i don't profess to know anything on this topic, being of an inqusitive nature i've always noticed those big industrial size air compressors sitting atop display racks in fish shops.. they resemble a compressor used to inflate car/bicycle tyres etc. i happened to notice a few different models of these large compressors at the pet centre in lower hutt (wellington) in boxes for sale right up on an obscure top shelf during my last visit.. so they are around. henry

I have read quite a bit on filtration, but have only ever used an internal power filter (which suits me down to the ground at present, i must say ), and so have never had a tank with an UG filter. My question is this: are UG filters suitable for planted tanks? I see above several people talk about roots finding their way into filter plates, so some people must plant tanks with UG filters - several articles I have read mention plants no reaching growth potential due to water movement through roots, and disruption due to vacuuming. What experiences have everyone had with plants and UGs, and are these claims valid? I await your responses with anticipation! :lol: Henry

There is a lot of information available on sump/trickle filter set ups on the internet.. search on google. As mentioned above, gravity is the safest method of getting water into the sump, as flow will stop during a power cut without draining or over filling the tank. Outflow can be achieved by drilling the side of the tank at the water line, drilling the bottom of the tank and inserting a drain pipe to sit at the water level, or using a siphon trap that ensures carries water over the side of the tank and ensures the siphon isnt broken if the power is disrupted. Plans for siphon traps are available on the internet. If you have a good quality pump returning water to your tank at a sufficient rate of flow, you should be able to build your own filter set up for a fraction of the cost of buying an external filter, and have heaps more media area.. you just need to design the sump so that water flowing from the tank trickles or passes through sponge, filter wool and biological media before gathering in the sump. This can be acheived by stacking containers or trays with perferated bottoms, or by forcing the water to flow through media in the sump. The only important consideration is spreading the water out evenly through the material so no 'dead' areas are created. Heaters, chemical filtration/buffers, C02 reactors and test equipment can all be in the sump and out of the tank. Adding a pre-filter sponge on your tank outflow (that can be cleaned out regularly) will allow the filter setup to go even longer between servicing. You can also set a slow fresh water drip into your tank or filter, and plumb an outflow into your sump that effectively changes the water continuosly. By setting the weekly inflow at 25% of the tank/sump total capacity, you eliminate the need for a separate weekly water change, and protect against evaporation water loss. I am yet to implement these FANTASTIC :lol: ideas in my own setup, but have done quite a lot of reading about sumps and trickle filters.. there are heaps of articles and plans out there. Henry

Hello everyone, One of my (very) long term plans is a Malawi Mbuna Cichlid tank, perhaps 5' in length, no plants but plenty of rock structures and caves. My plans for this project have the tank in a custom made end-room joinery unit with cupboards for the filter/equipment, book shelves, and a space above the tank for a plasma screen TV . My plans for the filter involves one of those 5 draw plastic storage units, with transparent draws, coloured plastic casing and castors as available from Mitre10/The Warehouse/PlasticBox etc. Water would flow from two drilled overflows and trickle through the first draw with sponge sheets for mechanical filtration, trickle through the second draw with Eheim Ehfisubstrat for bio filtration, and gather in a bottom draw acting as a sump. The sump would have two heaters, and a pump for return to the tank via a reverse-flow undergravel filter plate. My plans also include a continuous water change system, with a fresh water inflow into the top of the filter, and an overflow from the sump, which could be plumbed, or, as shown in the design, collect in the very bottom draw which would be emptied as required. The actual weight of the water in the unit would be minimal, as the sump is the only draw full of water. The castors would be removed for stability. Although the joinery unit is DEFINITELY a long term plan :lol: , the filter will be easier to put together, the only real expense being the pump, heaters and all the Eheim tubing/taps/coupling pieces. Any thoughts/comments/suggestions on using one of these mobile storage units as a trickle filter, or on my design in general are very welcome. henry Alas, VillagePhoto does not allow an external URL direct to image, please click this link to view image on a VillagePhoto page. Thankyou! http://www.villagephotos.com/viewpubimage.asp?id_=8868908&selected=893558

the day you stop learning is the day you stop living yes, interfectus, pluralising lumen by adding an s does seem clunky, but funilly enough that was how the rating was expressed on the box! maybe a good indication to steer clear of that particular brand? :lol: thank you everyone