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Are your bags of Carbon ok for a reef Dogmatix??. was going to get a couple but didn't know if they were saltwater compatable and no one would help me....

Jetskisteve has one for sale at a good price. Might be a bit big??

Thanks Steve/Brendan, Steve knows a bit about my setup... Its a big tank, 2.3 x .55 x .6 with a 3 foot sump. Started in Feb being just a fish only, but progressed within 2 months to a lowish light softie, to a mixed to a stony tank. Replaced my skimmer first, with a deltec, APF600, a bit small but my load is very light and its works real well!!, slowly removed all bioballs etc, and put in triple arcadia unit, with 3 x 250w 14k halides and 2 x 75 watt artinics. These 2 additions made a huge difference!. There is about 75Kg of rock, mainly formed into a reef at one end to allow more swimming space but am reassessing this and will probably add more live rock (when I can find some) to form 2 bommie type reef areas. The tank has really started to mature nicely, with the skimmer pulling alot leaving the water crystal clear, and I have no nitrates, and no phospahate detectable (remember at present I am very lightly stocked with only 3 fish, a few softies, 2 small acros, montipora frags (2 types, both starting to grow really well), some zenia (jetskis and a pompom), and a few other bits a pieces. I've recently added a refugium, another 3 footer lit 24/7 with lowish flow, with macro algae which has developed a real nice pod and mysid population, giving well over 1000 litres total volume. Macroalgae grew well at first but has all but stopped, i think due to lack of nutrients in the water. I don't add any additives yet but will have to start testing for Ca and Mg, as SPS is where I'm heading. One thing i worry about is lack of coralline growth, its really just starting in a few small spots at present. SPS are growing though. I relying only on a good salt mix and 60l water changes every Saturday. Have put in a couple of Seio streams to increase currents along with return pumps and powerheads in rockwork, aimed mainly around the reef end. I would like to upgrade to tunze streams, maybe add a calcium reactor, and a larger deltec eventually, but this will take time. Guess I've gone on a bit, but really enjoy the tank, and it's going so well. I enjoy this site and find it very helpful, even enjoy the arguments. Regards Shawn

heres a little brown/green acro I got about 3 weeks ago. Turned a very nice blue, so very happy!!

i should be using DI filters but don't. Just using my tank water that reads zero for phosphate and nitrate on my test kits (same as my tank). I do plan to use DI though.

Steve, its the same salt i asked about a few days ago, I've used it from the startup and dont have any problems, my deltec works fine and doesn't vary with new water changes. Shawn.

Best -bought a deltec skimmer and 3 x 250w metal halides - what a difference. Worst - getting Flatworms.

Thanks, sounds reassuring. I mix my salt after each water change (Saturdays) so it mixes for a week with a pump and heater going so is crystal clear and warm before I add it. Change 60 litres each week, tank volume over 1000 litres now refugium up and running. My pH sits at 8.2 - 8.4.

I wonder if any one else is using or has used the crystal sea marinemix salt available at HFF. I have used it since starting my reef tank and have so far haven't had any reason to doult it. However, after reading a few threads on RC and WWM, I'm beginning to wonder. There's alot of negative comments esp. when using it with other salt brands. People have lost corals shortly after using this mix on water changes, mainly sps which is where I'm heading. Really interested to hear any other experiences with it.

good to hear Pies, the main tank has lots of pods but I think the mysid came with the macro algae and would like to think some will make it through to the display.

studied my refugium tonight and over the moon to find I've got mysid shrimp as well as amphipods and copepods. Things keep getting better and better............ I don't imagine they can get through the return pump to the display though?

Hey Newtman, Watch out for the crested blennies, they are cool looking but will enjoy snacking on your anemones. (speaking from experience). Keep local tanks for years and had great success. West Coast beachs esp. Muriwai are a fine area for livestock. Baby red moki, parrot fish, small hiwihiwi, triplefins, baby sweep, seaweed of varioius types, baby sole and flounder in rock pools etc.. In all the years i keep these type of fish i only lost 1 or 2 and most were returned to rockpools when they got to big, and the last fish and a Jansen brought crayfish that had grown to 10" long were returned now that I have gone to a reef aquarium. Shawn.

Gidday Neopole, You can get some very good fish at the westcoast beaches: Murawai, Bethells, Whatipu, but Muriwai seems the best. You need to really pick your swell and tides though. Swell needs to be 1m or under and low tide needs to be .7m or lower. Not many days per year like that. I got the hiwihiwi, blue Maomao and Red moki from Muriwai. Also a baby scarlet wrasse that unfortunately jumped out of the tank and I chased a small school of small bigeye around and around a rockpool for hours once but couldn't catch. You will need to decent size nets, the warehouse sell black ones on a 1m handle for only about $5 and the are excellent as small fish tend to head to the black area. I have two 20l buckets with that I've attched battery operated airpumps on to and drilled holes through with air lines to attach airstones. You also need a venting system on the sealed lids that will allow air to escape but not water in the car. These will keep fish alive for days if you replce the batteries. Without these they run out of oxygen in hours. The porore and bluecod were caught by barbless hook on fishing line, but again you will want to drop them gently into the aerated bucket with out touching them. The olive rock fish was caught from rockpools at Tairua. 2 excellent spots for collected varied life are Whangaparora, near the end of the road after gulf harbour there is a small park on the left (Fishermans gap??)and path down to extended rocky shelves with plenty of rock pools at low tide, and also Torbay over the shore. This is an excellent place to get shrimps, both for display and live food. You have to lift rocks in the sandy/muddy rockpools on the southside of the Tor, and scoop under the rock with your net. You'll get some good size ones there. Good luck, you need plenty of perserverence, and ocassionally you get lucky.

ok, 7" crayfish. Red Moki do get large over time, but are very slow growing and slow dramatically after reaching 10" or so. Should be able to keep him for a number of years before returning to the sea. He has grown 2-3 cm since I caught him in a rock pool at Muriwai beach about 14 months ago and is very healthy. Shawn.

yep, but the red moki and the porae are little stunners and long sort after.

sorry, first 3 came up with a posting code error, so kept trying.....

Gidday all, I'm on my 3rd local marine tank. Current one is 900l, large sump, skimmer, compact PCs, etc. Been running for 2 years and is settled nicely. Have good seaweed growth, both a fern type i found at Henderson bay, Nthland and brown types I think from original stock from Muriwai. Fish in tank currently - Red Moki (2-3 inches), Blue Maumau, Baby Porore, Olive rock fish, Blue cod, Hiwihiwi (started as a 1" baby) now 5", spotty and mottled triplefins. Have had baby snapper but grow to quick and become agressive so stay clear of them now. Also a cray fish, originally from Jansens fry raised stock but now after multiple sheddings, about 7' long. Lots of amenomes, green, pink, purple. Used limestone as a baserock and Good live rock from Whangaparora, and experience good coraline growth. Plenty of snails and worms and shrimps also in tank. Glass shrimps tend to get eaten (the clever ones last months) but snapping shrimps and the stripped variety (red blue stripes, unsure of correct mane). Also had good sucesss keeping sole and founder but cray fish big enough to catch and devour them now. Tank is kept in a small air conditioned room in my shed and although water temp still gets to 23/23 degrees in Summer, inhabitants don't mind.

Gidday all, I'm on my 3rd local marine tank. Current one is 900l, large sump, skimmer, compact PCs, etc. Been running for 2 years and is settled nicely. Have good seaweed growth, both a fern type i found at Henderson bay, Nthland and brown types I think from original stock from Muriwai. Fish in tank currently - Red Moki (2-3 inches), Blue Maumau, Baby Porore, Olive rock fish, Blue cod, Hiwihiwi (started as a 1" baby) now 5", spotty and mottled triplefins. Have had baby snapper but grow to quick and become agressive so stay clear of them now. Also a cray fish, originally from Jansens fry raised stock but now after multiple sheddings, about 7' long. Lots of amenomes, green, pink, purple. Used limestone as a baserock and Good live rock from Whangaparora, and experience good coraline growth. Plenty of snails and worms and shrimps also in tank. Glass shrimps tend to get eaten (the clever ones last months) but snapping shrimps and the stripped variety (red blue stripes, unsure of correct mane). Also had good sucesss keeping sole and founder but cray fish big enough to catch and devour them now. Tank is kept in a small air conditioned room in my shed and although water temp still gets to 23/23 degrees in Summer, inhabitants don't mind.

Gidday all, I'm on my 3rd local marine tank. Current one is 900l, large sump, skimmer, compact PCs, etc. Been running for 2 years and is settled nicely. Have good seaweed growth, both a fern type i found at Henderson bay, Nthland and brown types I think from original stock from Muriwai. Fish in tank currently - Red Moki (2-3 inches), Blue Maumau, Baby Porore, Olive rock fish, Blue cod, Hiwihiwi (started as a 1" baby) now 5", spotty and mottled triplefins. Have had baby snapper but grow to quick and become agressive so stay clear of them now. Also a cray fish, originally from Jansens fry raised stock but now after multiple sheddings, about 7' long. Lots of amenomes, green, pink, purple. Used limestone as a baserock and Good live rock from Whangaparora, and experience good coraline growth. Plenty of snails and worms and shrimps also in tank. Glass shrimps tend to get eaten (the clever ones last months) but snapping shrimps and the stripped variety (red blue stripes, unsure of correct mane). Also had good sucesss keeping sole and founder but cray fish big enough to catch and devour them now. Tank is kept in a small air conditioned room in my shed and although water temp still gets to 23/23 degrees in Summer, inhabitants don't mind.

Gidday all, I'm on my 3rd local marine tank. Current one is 900l, large sump, skimmer, compact PCs, etc. Been running for 2 years and is settled nicely. Have good seaweed growth, both a fern type i found at Henderson bay, Nthland and brown types I think from original stock from Muriwai. Fish in tank currently - Red Moki (2-3 inches), Blue Maumau, Baby Porore, Olive rock fish, Blue cod, Hiwihiwi (started as a 1" baby) now 5", spotty and mottled triplefins. Have had baby snapper but grow to quick and become agressive so stay clear of them now. Also a cray fish, originally from Jansens fry raised stock but now after multiple sheddings, about 7' long. Lots of amenomes, green, pink, purple. Used limestone as a baserock and Good live rock from Whangaparora, and experience good coraline growth. Plenty of snails and worms and shrimps also in tank. Glass shrimps tend to get eaten (the clever ones last months) but snapping shrimps and the stripped variety (red blue stripes, unsure of correct mane). Also had good sucesss keeping sole and founder but cray fish big enough to catch and devour them now. Tank is kept in a small air conditioned room in my shed and although water temp still gets to 23/23 degrees in Summer, inhabitants don't mind.