puttputt

good point Fay, I have wondered the same about the possibility of water from Muriwai Beach as well.

Very nice..........well done.

Couple of photos showing growth, but I think its going to increase quickly.... Little Blue 3rd Sept little blue today tank from end view sorry for photo quality, best my camera will do.

manual. 2 230v outlets, 1 12v. Controlled voltage output, i.e. surge protection built in.

pretty good, much quieter than the hired one I used a couple of weeks ago. I'm on a 10 acre block but the shed is pretty close to the house and i couldn't hear it in bed that night. (Mind you heard nothing but the wind on Sat). I'm prepared to annoy the nighbours to save my tank.

the generator or the reactor

A give it a few weeks and then take some photos, i,ve got before photos so it will be interesting. Bought the generator from Bunnings, It was $630 + GST and was a bloodly good deal. It's alot better than the little 900 watt jobs that sell for $199 which i nearly bought. It has a 6.5 hp 4 stroke motor in a good solid rubber mounted frame, and has a 2300 watt or 2000 watt continuous generator. Its Chinese made for an Australian company but quality seems fine. Also a 12 litre fuel tank and i used just over a litre an hour. Ran my streams ( 2 seio and 1 tunze) 2 power heads, skimmer pumps, main return pump, 2 300w heaters, calcium reactor and 4 double VHO sets and hardly warmed up. Worth every cent.

Couple of positives in my tank over the last week or so... The calcium reactor that i put on a week and a half ago has been tuned in nicely and the Alk has risen from 8.3 to 10.9, Calcium has risen from 420 to 450ppm (only on 420 after dosing calcium Chloride several weeks ago, was 390) and ph has dropped but stabilised at 8.2. I am sure I can see the sps reacting already, new growth sprouting around the place (I have to make sure I'm not imagining it) and coraline that I've struggled to get going is starting top sprout all over the rocks. Many thanks to those who gave their time to helping me in this area (Jetski). The generator that I bought 3 weeks ago after a power cut, paid for itself this weekend with 20 hrs of lost power in my area. The 2.3Kw not only ran every thing in my tank (except the MH lights as they are hard wired) but also managed a lead across the the house on Saturday night to watch the rugby. and sorry about starting the salt mix thread, it was kidnapped.....

heres a better link to look at re salt mixes..... http://saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://web.archive.org/web/20010303215133/www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1999/mar/features/1/default.asp

zeovit steals another thread....

what is the best salt mix???? Alot on Reef Central rave about Tropic Marine Pro reef?. Is this available??

these guys have to say this........ "kent sea salt preliminary investigations indicate that this product is very similar to Reef Crystals, which is similar to Instant Ocean.." "Red sea claim having trace elements distributed in a new method concerns experts...The S-15 Report clearly shows this product varies dramatically to the point of defying the mixing procedure employed to produce this item" "Instant Ocean claim of having all elements known to be essential is misleading.......However, the most costly elements are omitted and found only as impurities" These guys seem to rubbish all other salts except the one they sell " Marine Environment dual phase formula" ...a strange article to use Dogmatix.

Dogmatix, which salt are you talking about. If you are referring to the crystal sea salt, I'd seriously check your testing. It is all I've used and never had any ammonia readings since cycling. Don't have any nitrate reading either (salifert) so not being converted to that.

I'm still using the crystal sea mix that HFF has for $99.00 for 600l. Its a good mix, but from what I've read, it may not mix well with IO, for some reason. I don't doult it as a good salt mix, calcium and mag are good and it mixes very well.

series 3 Arcadia MH unit. 3 x 250w MH 14K plus 2 x 75w VHO actinics. my fav blue acro for those that missed it last time, had grown a bit and looks bluer in real life

Thanks, Its 2.3 x .6 x .6 with two 1 metre sumps (1 a refugium). About 1100 litres in total. Its still only young, but water condition is brilliant, give it another 12 months and it should be getting to a level like some of the tanks the guys around this board have!!. Just got my calcium and Alk up to good levels and only now starting to see some coraline growth (cheers jetski). Going to concentrate on SPS, so still have a big want list for equipment, starting with a good calcium reactor, controllable streams (just uncontrolled units in a the moment), a electronic aquarium controller, a a bigger deltec but no rush on this one, the one I use is a cracker. Nitrates - 0 - no colour change at all even with double strength (salifert) phospates - as above, can't detect any. Ph - 8.3 calcium - 430ppm Kh - 8.5 Live in Waimauku, out by Kumeu.

Couple of new photos New Acro, was brown, turning a nice purple.... Full tank shot

Ditto, took one of these exactly the same off a new acro on Sunday. It had eaten a small patch of the acro. Hes in the refugium now.

mmmmmmm.......... lots of second hand streams coming on the market in the new year he thinks to himself.

me, 10 years since my last reef and my, what alot has changed. Local marine filled the gap.

Must be good for everyone. Importers, retailers, and us.

Here you go - 3 days worth.

I get about 60mm in the collection cup every 3-4 days with my APF600. Its real dark, thick and smelly. Also clean 4-5 mm of mud like Reefs. Clean it thoroughly at least twice a week. Its a great skimmer!!!!!!!!! I post a picture this weekend.

just popped into Jansens to get some Carbon, saw a stunning Atlantic blue tang in there corals tanks. If only I had $350 to buy it!!!

Thanks dogmatix, I'll get some. Shawn.