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Cheers DiverJohn Yeh is a diy MH setup 250watt 14000k bulb with a 125mm fan for cooling just need some plastic eggcrate stuff for the back. Will talk to universal plastics when i get back to work. Dave

Lights are finally on and tests are looking good So let me know what you all think. Dave

Cheers Caryl always nice to get complements on DIY stuff. Well my readings have been sweet since boxing day Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate below 5ppm, pH 8.2, Ca2+ 480 Pos a little high, Salanity between 1.024 and 1.025 depending how close to RO/DI top up and temp 24c. Went to the beach and picked up some catseye snails and stoped by Critter Kingdom and picked up about 1kg of nice live rock (Thanks guys). Now there is live exploding in my tank, little critters coming out of the rock like crazy and some real ulgy things at that. lighting hood should be finished by middle of next week. So my question is who in Christchurch would be willing to sell me some more live rock, should be picking some up from Jetskisteve in a couple of weeks when i go to Auckland. PS my partner thinks i have lost the plot sitting in front of an emty tank for hours Dave.

There is a tread on reefcentral in the diy section about drilling holes in glass when the tank is full. I will try to find a link to it when i get some time. Dave

:lol: cool avatar(spelling) robnz :lol:

Yeh lights are off the tank at the moment as i seal the inside of the hood. just have some strip lights over it at the moment that i took off for the photo Cheers Brianemore Dave

Here goes i will try this with photobucket. Tank setup inside wll try and get some better photos when the batterys are recharged Dave.

Ok thanks all now have a photobucket account. Tried to get one before the webshots one but site was not accepting free accounts.

will post some pics up tonight when i get home from work. That depending on if i can work out the thing with webshots and hotlinking? :evil:

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Well her of all importance thought it would be better to have the new tank setup inside instead of having me spend all the time out in the shed. So now that the tank is inside and full i have a little more hope in my eyes Been cycling for three weeks now and finally got my aquascaping look how i like it.

Pies i used a three pin plug on my lamp side so i could earth the reflector just to be on the safe side. If you pm me your email i will send through the info i have on the ballasts from TRIDONIC ATCO it tells you about outputs ignitors and capacitors that you should use. Also what is the tradename of the plastic eggcrate meterial you used on your reef stand as i need some for the back of my light hood. and where did you get it from Thanks Dave.

Good point Doc, i could also be keen in about 5-10kgs of rock how much you got steve don't want to steal the docs rock. might be coming up to auckland in a few weeks time for work so would be interested.

Ok so computers arnt my strong point. Funny realy considering that i sit behind one every day Try it now http://community.webshots.com/album/219511585LGefoD Dave

Try this link to the photo galleryhttp://community.webshots.com/album/219511585LGefoD Yes Reef it is a mazzi injector the pump is a Dolphin P2500 1300 liters at 1.2meters head which is overkill for the injector. will be upgrading to an ikiwi (sp) when finances allow There are heaps of small bubles below the injection point but you can't see them in the photo as they are to small. Pulls bloody well considering there is no load in there apart from some rock.

Yeah my tank is under way in the shed cycling as we speek hope to have it set up inside at the start of feb http://community.webshots.com/album/219511585LGefoD Shot of skimmer was taken only six hours after the mods where made Dave :lol:

Good Stuff Dogmatrix :lol: you got any pics yet Im right behind you filled my tank up last week now just waiting for the cycling to go through. :evil: then i might be able to bring it inside instead of having it in the shed. Dam her and her saying "Im not looking at an emty tank while i eat christmas dinner with my famaly." :roll:

Just came across this. I have the same choke, Ignitor and capacitor at home for my light setup i will be running only difference is that im running 250w. easy as hell to wire up can post a pic tonight if you want one. Hydroponics stores might be a good place to look for reflectors have not tried myself as i am making my own.

Ok sorry about the small pics think i stuffed up and used the link to the thumb rather than the pic itself :roll:

Ok finaly have some pics up on a host. The first one is of the die grinder i used to make the holes The second pic is of the diamond bits i used to cut the holes the one on the right is the ball head that i started the hole with and the one on the left is the one that was used to make the hole the right size This is a pic of the second hole i did still not enough water as i had a small chip on the side of the hole but luckily it was on the outside of the glass. Dave

Ok The age of technoligy has finaly caught up with me and i need a free image hoster. Who do you use and how good are they. Dave.

Could be a good trip to pick up some frags. Dam my tank not being setup and i don't think the missis will be to happy if i tell her that we can't go away at Christmas because i have to set my tank up and fly up north a couple of times. Sorry guys but will let you know when im up north again for work and ill have to come around and see your reefs. Dave.

Hi Pies the glass was 10mm and i started the holes with a ball head cutter, going around the inside of the hole i was cutting out slowly wearing throught the glass. This part took the longest as being 10mm thick its a long way through, so i turned the tank over and started coming at it from the other side when the shank on the ball head cutter was starting to hit the glass. You dont want this to happen as the glass just chips of in big hunks, lucky for me it was on the inside of the hole that the shank hit, a chip about 12mm round by about 6mm deep went flying from the inside of the hole. Once the two sides of the hole where about .5-1mm from connecting i gave the glass a small tap with the back of the die grinder spanner and out poped the center. Note use lots of water and when you think theres to much water on there add some more as the bits will chip the glass if it gets to dry. Once i had the center of the hole out i used a round tube bit and cleaned the inside of the hole up until the hole was the right size. Like i say easy as. will post some pics of the hole and the bits tonight for you. Dave.

I cut to holes in my tank last night for overflows and it was as easy as. Used the method they explain on reefcentral but had an industrial die grinder from work and a pack of daimond cutting bits i brought off ebay for $17nz landed. Took all of an hour to cut two 26mm holes. Just use lots of water to keep the daimonds cool or the glass starts to chip a little. Dave.

I know this is going to open up a debate and thats not what i want. Im not asking what the best skimmer is because i realy don't give a rats @$$ My question is are turboflotors a good option. From what i have read they seem to be so i was thinking of getting a T1000 for my 180ltr, with a little sight to the future of when i finnaly decide that i don't need to spend every cent i earn and save for a house. Then a bigger tank can move in Cheers dave

Firstly thanks everyone. Layton i will definatly be pestering you closer to the time of getting things set up thanks for the offer. The 180ltr is 3foot yes and is sitting in the sleepout at the moment waiting to be filled again (left over from freshwater) and tank stand is half built. Not much will be happening until at least mid november then its Christmas (Sorry everyone for bringing that up) so realisticly looking at January. dont realy want a tank with a few rocks and some algae next to the dinner table while i listen to the inlaws going on about how ugly that thing looks, christmas is stressful at the best of time without that or i could aways tell them that there are the most spendard fish in the world in there but they are very shy and only come out when you are quite and still. Who knows it might work?. Hmm side tracked again :roll: NSW may not be an option for me as Layton says finding clean acessable water might be a problem and no Chimera moving back to Auckland is not a solution to anything other than the lack of traffic jams and sitting on the motorway for over an hour every morning ( Yes i did live close to work didn't i) that i no longer have to deal with 5mins to get to work and its about the same distance that took me 65mins in Auckland. Move to Christchurch and gain two hours a day worked for me