YamNato

Hey guys, just a quick update. Sorry once again for sub par photos . Stocking is now: 3 x Electric Yellow 3 x Cobalt Blue Zebra 3 x Tropheus Pemba (very tiny, can not wait to see them colour up) 4 x Unknown Peacocks (Got them from a friend) 1 x Golden Algae Eater I put some coral in today but I'm not really feeling the layout. I will redo it when I next do a water change. I bought a 306 to go with my 206 but had problems with it, as mentioned in another post. My LFS was very helpful, they gave me the option to take a replacement 306 or go with something else. After having issues with the 306 it left me with a bitter taste for Fluval so I went with a Eheim 2217 to go along side the original 206. And that concludes the update

I have been in contact with the LFS over the last two days. They have come back and said the supplier will give me a replacement filter with no piping as the piping that came with the original filter I cut during the initial setup. OR if I buy replacement piping the LFS will let me chose another filter/brand. Overall I'm quite happy with that and think it has turned out fair. The staff member was incredibly helpful and the store has proved itself when it comes to customer service. Thanks to all that replied to the original thread.

Yeah, that is the article I read. Just don't want to annoy them or be that guy that walks in having to quote legislation.

Thanks, tried all of the above, so did the guys at the store. Will keep it running for several more days and see if the problem sorts itself.

Hi everyone, I am not sure if this is the correct category so apologies if it's not. I have a problem, yesterday(Mon 16 May) I bought a Fluval 306. Cut a long story short, after much excitement and set up I start it up and it is NOISY. Its making a sound that's hard to explain but it definitely does not sound right. The sound its making is completely different to trapped air, its like a 'something lose' sound if I can explain it that way. I also have a very quiet house and I can sometimes hear it 10-15 meters away in my room. It gets quiet for periods of time but then when I put my ear closer to it I can hear its not right. There's knocking/ticking sound that my 206 definitely does not have. I took it back to my LFS, where I obviously bought it from, and the staff there agreed it was making a strange noise. Instead of giving me a new unit, which is what I would expect given I only bought it less than 24 hours ago, they replaced the impeller. That didn't work so they replaced the impeller housing cap and that didn't work either, so they replaced the main seal. It seemed to be quieter after that but not 100%, in my opinion anyway but I take the advice of the staff. Get home and set it all up, still sounds like it did after leaving the LFS. I turn on GOT and when the episode is finished the filter is making the same noise it did the first time. As mentioned above, I have a 206 and it is quiet and I haven't had any issues with it. I expected the 306 to have a louder hum compared to the 206 as it flows more ect. I can't make it into my LFS before Friday afternoon/Saturday, I'll call them tomorrow to notify them its doing it again and keep recording video of the noise periodically. My issue is this, even today, the first thing they said was it would need to be sent away if they can't fix it. If I'd had this filter for even a month and it started playing up I would say sure but after a day they want to send it away? I know suppliers set the deal when it comes to repairs etc, but I think this is ridiculous that a 'out of the box' defect should be sent away after a day. I've had a look and under the consumer guarantees act if there is a fault within 7 days the store is under obligation by law to refund me/give me another unit/give me another product of the same value and expectation of quality. Am I correct? I love my LFS and the staff that work there so I WILL not name the store, and out of respect for them I don't want to walk in and sound like a dick quoting the consumers act. At the same time, I think its unfair for it to get sent away. Plus, what do I do for filtration while its away? PLEASE, what are your thoughts on this? Again this sound is completely different to trapped air!

I will be going there on Sunday!!!!

Ikola are really nice looking. I'll have to take a drive to New Pupuke and have a look

In a month or so I will add another 4-5. What type, I'm not sure. I have a list of some I have seen online but I'm not sure if I can get them in NZ and what species will go together and not fight. I only made the list this afternoon, I have not had time to research anything yet. Red empress (protomelas taeniolatus)Protomelas sp (Steveni Taiwan) Metriaclima sp (elongatus chewere) Copadichromis azureus Protomelas spilonotus (Mara rocks) German red peacock Tropheus duboisiElectric blue ahli Red top colbolt zebra Albino dragon bloodI will go to my LFS and have a chat with what they stock and what will work together. On that note, I am in Auckland, what Fish stores would people recommend for African Cichlids?

Starting off with 4 Electric Yellow

Hey everyone! So my tank is finally up and running as of 3 hours ago. Let the cycling start . I can't wait to get some fish in it. Link to my original post http://aquariumworld.nz/forums/topic/44485-new-setup-is-underway/ I went ahead and had my floor reinforced so I can sleep easy at night. The stand I ended up building was smaller than I had planned, I went this route as the space I have is cramped as it is. The build still follows the same design concept structurally, but is shorter. It also turned out a bit rougher than expected but its my first stand and its not 100% finished yet (will add a floor and doors, but I was excited to get it up and running). The tank has been re-sealed but the guy said the joins are showing their age, so possibly in the next 6 months Ill have a tank built to the same dimensions as the current one and replace it, but for now its okay. In my original post, I mentioned that I got 2 Aqua One style filters when I bought the tank. After finding out how much new media would cost I decided to just buy a new filter instead. Its a Fluval 206, I will be buying another 206 in 2 months and run both on the tank. I am currently soaking some coral to remove the ammonia and that should cover me for rocks. All up its been a really big learning experience and going forward I will improve on things, but for the most part I am happy with how it turned out. I will post pics when I get my first stocking, will only be about 4-5 fish to begin with and once I get my second 206 I will add more. Let me know your thoughts. Cheers

Hey there, I'm looking to trade my 48l tank, light and Eheim filter (both 2 months old), heater (3 months old), air pump, all decor (rocks, driftwood, sand, plants), and the fish in the tank. All the equipment is fairly new bar the air pump. Fish: 1x Redtail shark (had about 3 - 4 months) 1x Bristlenose pleco (had about 3 - 4 months) 5 Cherry barb (3 female, 2 male, had about a month) I want to trade for a tank that is between 100-120ish L that has a light. Just a bare tank and light. Reason for wanting to trade: I've moved onto African cichlids in my big tank and looking for a smaller grow out tank. So complete setup, everything seen in the recent photos. Sorry for the glare in the photo's, just had a algae bloom so looks a bit green but usually better. First two photos are of the tank a month and a half ago, other photos are from today.

Thanks for the input Yeah that's why I was stumped that for 10 days, with no water changes and with two messy fish (RTS and pleco), I had 0,0,0. Then nitrites. I test morning and night so I am keeping a close eye on it. Will keep the post updated, will be interesting to see what happens with the 5 extra cherry barbs. P.S the pleco and the RTS will have new homes when they get bigger. The Mrs has said I am only allowed 2 tanks so I will get the 210l African tank going and then the 48 will be upgraded to a 100l and be a heavily planted tank. THAT IS THE PLAN anyway haha. Cheers

Hey there, so I'm stumped as to why I have no nitrates in my tank. I had been given a small tank with 2 fish in it from a friend. Had no clue about water perimeters etc. I didn't like the fact that the tank was so small. So bought a 48l (still small but better). Set it all up and then transferred fish, the fish died. I did research and found out about the nitrogen cycle etc. Set tank up again, let it run for 3-4 weeks, went to a popular pet store chain (don't want to mention names), had the water tested, and all clear except she said my p.H was very acidic and to do a water change but I could buy fish. So I told her tank size etc and I bought a bristle nose pleco and a red tail shark. Get home, do a water change, put them in the tank. The next day I notice the shark doesn't look happy, so I decide to take my water to another store and get it tested. Turns out I had slight amounts ammonia and nitrite but the kicker was my p'h was 8.5 (turn's out my bore spews out 8.5-9 p.H and 8 dKH). So I rush home do all I can to get p.H down over the next week and get the ammonia and nitrite levels down. After 3 weeks, ammonia is 0 but still have some nitrite. I was told to use some Nitrozorb, sorry if that's not the correct spelling, so I bought some and put it in. 3 days after that I went back to my now LFS and get water tested again. Again slight amount of nitrite but less this time, told to do a 40-50% water change and use the nitrozorb again (after recharging). I also decided to buy a master test kit. 2 days later ammonia = 0, nitrites = 0, nitrates = 0. Mind you this hole time I've been dosing Stability. Awesome water = great, both fish have survived and now I'll wait several days before I get more fish. So the 18/2 I did the last water change and from that day I've had 0,0,0 until yesterday. Two days ago I went to the LFS had water tested, I took my note book along and showed my records since the 18th showing 0,0,0. He said the water was perfect but 0 nitrates is a good and bad thing because well where are they. I bought 5 cherry barb's Last night, when I tested my water my nitrites had risen, only slightly, I had to test against tap water to be sure but it was a darker blue. This morning, I tested again and I would say it looks like 0.10ppm of nitrites but still 0 ammonia and 0 nitrates. I dosed some prime to keep fish safe and stability to help bacterial colonies. Will keep testing. I have had 4 plants in the tank and after Friday I now have have 6 + some Java moss in there. I also have 2 huge pieces of drift wood. I do have lots of algae to control. Can these alone keep my nitrates at 0? Keeping in mind, the last water change I did was on the 18th? Now with the nitrite spike I wonder if the cycle isn't complete. On another note, something is buffering the p.h of the water up. my current dKH is 2 (when I test it at home but for some reason is 0 when tested at the LFS). I'll p.H test in the morning and its around 7.6, I will add some p.H down. At night when I get home it's a good 7.0. Next morning I'll test and its back up at 7.6, I'll repeat with p.h down. This happens most days. I've mentioned in another post about a new African tank I'm setting up but I feel like I'm losing a battle with this smaller tank, and I will not let it fail. I'm not sure if I'm over thinking things or what. Any input is appreciated, Thanks

My thinking was to use 16 or 22mm plywood to cover the entire frame and that would be for lateral bracing, kind of like the new Gib bracing system. What are your thoughts? If I added diagonal bracing, should I do it like this |\|/| or like this |/|\| . Haha if that makes sense.

Hey everyone, so I picked up my new tank (new to me anyway) on Saturday and what happened is, actually, a pretty cool story. I originally just bought the tank from this guy on Trademe (his son bred Africans and had 18 tanks), when I went to pick it up I said to him, I remembered he had said he had some rocks and if he wants to sell them, I'll buy them. He gave me rocks, corals substrate, a box full of heaters including a Jager, thermometers, food, chemicals and then he gave me a Eheim 2213. I was stunned and gave him all the money I had. He then showed me a shed filled with equipment and he had some bigger filters he was going to be selling, so I got on the phone to the Mrs who gave me the go ahead to get two more filters. When I got back and said to him I'll take another two filters he gave me more stuff, a power head, lights for the tank, a bag of spare parts for the filters and a ton of piping/connectors. I chose a Aqua one CF-100 and a Via Aqua 750 professional. Basically I got all that for $200. Such a kind man and so generous, I was blown away driving home. Great karma and I'm so grateful!! So the tank on the TM ad measured 1200 L x 390 H x 560 D but ended up 1180 L x 380 H x 480D (interior dimensions) so a 55 gal which is a bit smaller (50 liters). On one corner, the seal looks a bit dodgy so I've contacted a tank builder and his quoted me $70 to reseal the tank and make some lids.I'm NOT complaining after the deal I got, I was planning on several months to get everything I needed for the tank and, well, I now basically have everything. Well, now that's over I can start talking about my plans. I've attached some Sketchup drawings of the stand I plan to build. Sorry I only started using Sketchup last night, I assure you my wood working skills are better than my sketchup skills. Let me know if you think the stand is a bit overkill for a 55gal. I've made the stand longer to spread the weight over a greater area of the floor. I've shown the frame, the frame covered in plywood with two doors, and where the tank will stand compared to the joists and piles (in a corner of two exterior walls. I will finish the stand of real nice and paint it, will look great. I might add some extra floor bracing but I'll wait and see. I plan to just run the Jager in the tank as it's inside a warm room and should have enough heating power, the heater looks really old and I'm just curious, are there any seals inside that could have gone brittle and could possibly let water in? I would rather buy a new heater than have something go wrong and I wake up to a tank of dead fish. So I'll post pictures on this thread as I go. Plan is: Build standGet tank resealedPaint the back of the tank black Get new seals and media for filtersGet some more substrateGet a UV sterilizerPut it all togetherCycleGet fishEnjoyI've probably missed a ton of steps but that's the rough idea anyway. Cheers

Thanks heap, there are a lot of fish in there I like the look of, the banjo catfish especially until I saw they dig themselves in haha. Will definitely keep these in mind and do my research and plan what direction to go in!

Hey there, just a thread to show my first tank. Only a 48 liter nothing special. Has a Pleco and Red tail shark. I know they will both out grow the tank, the Pleco will go into my African tank that I'll be slowly setting up over the next 4-6 months. The Red tail will stay with me until he is to big for the tank and then I will be giving him to a friend who has a big tank where he will fit in. Any ideas on stocking this after? I want the tank to be pretty active. The black filter in the tank is temporarily in with some extra media, otherwise it's just the Eheim. I'm looking for more plants and some java moss as I want a well planted tank, will be getting them soon. Here it is. Cheers .

Yeah I'll post a completely new thread when it's all up and running, it'll take several months for me to get it all together but that's what I wanted, something to work towards

1 ton! Wow okay I don't feel as worried now. Looking at what you did that is probably what I will do. Looks solid

Seriously awesome tank!!!

Tank 1 is now mine mega excited.

Thanks nudge and bigfishhead, I've put in a offer on tank 1 and will see how it goes. I've made a "wishlist" for all the things I want for the tank. I'm addicted haha

Thanks will keep these in mind when I getting the new tank

Hi there, I'm fairly new to the hobby and currently have a 50l tropical setup. I'm on bore water and get water with a p.H 8.5-9.0 and a dKH of 8, I'm told Malawi and Tanganyika Africans will suit this water. So I looked into them and I quite like the fish and the tank environment (rocky), long story short I want to start a new tank. I'm a student so it will take some time to get everything I need to start the tank (over 4 months) and get everything running. My thinking is for now I will get the tank, then build a solid stand, then filters etc etc. Right, so my question is.... I know go as big as you can is the rule of thumb but does tank dimensions make a difference? For example, I am currently looking at two tanks Tank 1: 262 liters 1200 wide, 390 high, 560 deep Tank 2: 338 liters 1220 wide, 600 high, 460 deep So yes tank 2 has way more volume but tank 1 has a bigger foot print that can be used for more rocks and will allow for more caves. What would you guys recommend out of the two tanks? The other thing I have to keep in mind is that my house is on piles, the tank will sit partially above 2 piles in a corner against two exterior walls. The stand I want to build will be 1800x600 and will be real solid to spread the weight over the entire footprint. I'm thinking I might need to brace the floor some more, what experience do you guys have with this? The tank will sit perpendicular to the joists and the joists are 500mm on centers. If I went with the 338 liter I figure after I add the weight of the water, glass, substrate, rocks, lights ,filters etc. I am looking at 650 kg's. That weight makes me real nervous when I think about it. Well that was a mouthful. Any input is appreciated Thanks

Hi all, I am fairly new to the hobby. I have a 50l tropical tank with a bristle nose and red tail shark in there at the moment. I am looking at a bigger tank in the future with African Cichlids. I'm on bore water and get water with a pH of 8.5-9.0 and a dKH hardness of 8, as I understand this is good for Africans. Anyway, nice to be here Cheers