wasp

Swing arms are nearly always wrong. IMO they should not be sold. Would pay to beg or borrow something else to check the salinity, it may be correct. One way to check your swing arm for accuracy would be against some NSW, which in NZ is normally 1.027 or 1.028. Wouldn't replace your salt mix with NSW at this stage, just work on getting the salinity right. Long as you do that some cloudiness will not be an issue. I think that as you have stated, the lack of flow may have been a factor. One thing to be aware of though, salt mix can take 24 hours or so after dissolving to be fully chemically stable, and so needs to be mixed a day or two in advance (as you have done).

What Drifty said. Also, is that a floating hydrometer or a swing arm? If it's a floating one you may be able to check it for accuracy by trying it in pure water & see if it reads zero.

Calculate whatever amount of salt it is to make the water to 1.021, then add an extra 20% of salt. That will make the mix to around 1.025. If you get it wrong, no worries, just chuck in a bit more salt, or a bit more water, till it's right.

You been pm'd

Pretty sure that bottom one is an undesireable turf algae that may become a pest. Hope those corals really were uber cheap, to be frank, they are pretty screwed. The leather may survive. You said you were coming to see me. Still waiting! if you do, bring the rock with that possible turf algae for an ID. Could save you a ton of trouble down the track.

How is this project going now Rockerpeller?

Oh I just read, it's the plumbing, not the glass? If so, silicone may not be the best. What is the plumbing made of?

The tank is already full of water? If so pretty hard to fix as the weight of the water pushes the wet silicone out of the way. WAY better to do it with no water it's pretty simple, but if that is not possible I'd suggest drying and cleaning area best you can, then put a thin layer of silicone so it will dry quick and blow dry with a hair drier. In 5 minutes or so it will have "skinned" and may be able to hold back the water. Allow 24 hours at normal temperature then strengthen with a big dollop of more silicone. If it's the overflow, is it possible to turn off the return, drain the overflow, and then do it?

Late nights more likely! :lol:

I believe there are a couple of things you left off that list, one is a RODI unit, not sure but somewhere around $400.00, and some kind of ca/alk dosing set up, $50.00 for basic time consuming system, or up to $1,500.00 or so for quality set & forget version. The RODI unit is something that people almost never factor in, as they can do without one for a time and it SEEMS like they are getting away with it, that is until their tank turns green. But after a skimmer, IMO it is one of the most important things someone should get for their tank, and I've seen so many sob stories about tanks turning to crap the owner does not understand why, then it turns out they are using tap water, or carbon filtered water.

Interested in how this turned out Catbrat, what happened?

What's all this sorbitol stuff? Something I missed somewhere? BTW I've met David, he's one of the most straight up guys i've ever met, he wouldn't be giving someone a "low blow', or whatever it is, actually i don't even know what you guys are talking about.

I see in the other thread you got a pm from Layton, does that mean he is helping you? If so you will be in safe hands, but if he's not helping you let's know & me & others will answer the questions you asked.

Very interesting Livingart, what a shame you didn't have a camera! What kind of tank & livestock you got nowadays?

Yes it can be done. However I saw this when I was in Australia, it is pretty sad to see a shark which is an open water swimmer, in a tank so small it can hardly turn around. Not something I could have or would enjoy looking at. Nearly all home aquarium sharks have a premature death.

Wasn't referring to you Reef BTW. Well Caryl says probably no thread splitting yet, but one thing that could be a good idea, is a guide somewhere, for people wishing to start. Have seen so many new people over the last few months all asking exactly the same thing and with only a few regular posters here there is not so many people to answer. A guide could answer basic questions then the person can start a thread for their more specialised questions.

Agreed I don’t like this “us and them†mentality, I don’t want to start feeling like a jerk or something just cos of which site I post on. We are all in this together I have very good buddies who post on one, other, or both sites. Also if a splitting of threads happens I don't think there should be a "beginner" section, the line is too blurred between the two. Also I'd hate to imagine what an "expert" section would be like I can imagine it being dominated by one particular person with very strong opinions and nobody else would get a look in.

Many ways to do it at various prices, but to do it right you are looking at a base of $2,000, and upwards from there. Just a tip, because of economies of scale and equipment, it may not cost much more to do a 200 litre than a 100 litre. The same skimmer will probably do the job if it's a quality one ( which it should be ), all you need is more lighting. Buying an existing second hand one on Trade Me can be a cheaper option, they never sell for anything near what the seller spent to set them up. One plan is to keep an eye on Trade Me, and when you see something suitable ask on here peoples opinions on it.

BTW you don't test daily, for the first week or 2 test a couple of times per week, then when you got a good idea how much you should dose, test weekly or fortnightly. Also, providing you are dosing in balance, one shortcut is to just test alkalinity weekly, and providing it is stable, just test calcium monthly. That's what I do, but to do that wait a while till you got a bit of experience and a feel for how things are going.

"Ok, problem, such a slow drip rate via gravity is very very inconsistant" Well don't listen to me, learn the hard way! :lol: No worries no need to rush into a dosing pump or reactor yet. You can still use your existing drip equipment, just speed up the drip rate and dose a measured amount of each on alternate 4 days. IE dose one part, then the other part 2 days later. Drip into a high flow area. It might seem a hassle, but finding out how much dosing pumps cost may help convince you! :lol:

Yes, not a good plan to start now if you are going in December for 2 months. It is very difficult for other people to look after a marine tank for that long especially if something goes wrong. An anemone will be OK in a 100 litre tank but best a smaller species such as a bubbletip. These will host clownfish also.

I see.

5 mls a minute is probably not enough to run a calcium reactor for most people. However it will be good for 2 part. What are these OEM pumps, and how much $$$? Also why are you bringing them in when you just on the cusp of releasing your own product?

OK, for now I guess :lol: Layton did you see my question re your peristaltic pump? Very interested in this.