petplanet

Must have high ceilings in your place.

Pro salt is designed for use with RO water only. If you are using Christchurch tap water then you should use the normal salt mix as your ground water probably has a high mineral (calcium) content.

You can use clove oil if you can find it. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/smpufferdentistry.htm

Starting is the easy part. Finishing, that's a different story.

Yeah and that is why shops don't like selling SPS. Far to easy to frag. More often than not a small specimen will do better than a large one in a new tank anyway so there is no real advantage in buying a large one. Also to get the really awesome colour they would need better systems and sit on the stock longer while it coloured up.

I will make it easy for you. Importers order their stock from overseas. They don't see it first. NZ is a small market so the best pieces go to the suppliers best customers and biggest customers - so not NZ. Shops order stock from importers. They don't see it first. Best pieces go to the best customers/mates etc. Shops sell corals - customers get to see the corals first hand - best stuff goes first. Those in the know - owners, employees, mates, top customers, first in the door normally get first pick. Importers and shops do not have the room to sit on a massive amount of stock. It would be nice to have a better selection to pick from but it will not happen. Orders have to be a reasonable size. Importers and shops have to sell down their stock before reordering or the freight cost becomes a real killer. For the size of Christchurch you are probably better served for marine livestock than the rest of NZ.

So why are they closing down their ponds as well and no longer selling pond plants?

Ah man! I thought I had the biggest clam.

What type of tang is it?

You could try some Seachem Garlic Guard.

Hmm, might head north for the summer.....

There is a big difference between the natural environment and a closed tank or pond system. UV is a very useful filtration tool. If you can get away with going all natural and are happy with the look then that's great. Reality is most people cannot.

Was it the right sized unit for your tank? Did you run it 24/7? Next time you are out there looking, look up. Massive UV unit in the sky. I have dealt with tanks suffering from green water in the past. Good filtration, no phosphates, no nitrate but still pea soup. These units work. You do need to replace the bulb once a year and get a unit that is not to small for your tank. I have the Pondmaster UV on my own tanks and it has saved be at least $1000 worth of fish. Money well spent.

Man, I reckon that system might hold more water than all the private marine tanks in the country combined. 92000 litres (display + sumps).

One of these may be a better option. They do a 24w version for tanks up to 400 litres. They are fully submersible and have their own pump. Green Killing Machine If you went for a Pondmaster one you would have to plumb it into your system and I do not think you would find it to be any more effective. The replacement bulbs are also much cheaper for the Green Killing Machines.