henward

Need technical knowhow here. engineers, stuff like that. been doing heaps of reading. an d everywhere says.... as i suspected from previous reading that HEIGHT IS the determining factor mostly on pressure on the tank. Length is not too much of a problem, height is the problem. Width isnt huge issue too. also i read that 2.5 safety factor is safe. Buyt 3 is better, 3.8 is even better. Using these calculators http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium https://public.sheet.zoho.com/public/ri ... calculator So here are some questions: Slight different to the other topic of efficiencies. 8) Tank Size: 2.4m x 1.2m x 60cm H (tank height will be 65cm but actual water height will be no more than 60 cm high) 1) This has a safety factor of 3.5 with 12mm glass - feedback? 2) tank maker says to me that he things 1.2 metres width is a problem, But everything i read says that its height. hence why im cutting down from 80 high to 60 high. 3) Would youy be comfortable with this? Width for my needs is the key. 4) the bottom pain on the calculator says should be 14.5 mm, I am thinking of doing one pane of 12mm, and another on top of 10mm as a giant brace so has the braceless look, does this mean it will be effectively 24mm thickness at the bottom? Thanks I had a plan, but now it kinda has to change!

yeah, i totally agree. no i am reassesing the size! i am trying to find the optimal size that balances cost/size/glass mm. Also trying to save for europe as well as about to buy a house :slfg: I am now considering a smaller scale tank! 2.4m x 1m x 65cm high. water height will be 60 after taking into account loss of dimensions. 1500litres. the footprint is suited for my arowana and comm. not as big - not quite my 'dream' tank. but the again - Not quite my dream stock. i am somewhat accepting that maybe my dream tank is not quite here yet :tears: May time it to come with my dream stock one day! in a pro to this situatoin. I means i can keep running my 600litre as well as the 1500 and it is less water and heating than the 2880litre tank i originally planned. WIN! :bounce:

I am consdering it, but the glass at the front is still needing to have enough strength. th water pressure would be the same. unless you only have the glass wndow on the top half of the tank. but i am considering it.

Tank maker said that 3m is a problem. because you will get glass bowing. http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium \ according to that, safety of 2.4 you can do 3m by 1m by 70cm. any thoughts? I am trying to find an optimal size, my main goal is to arowana comm, so width is important, length too, height is so much but it is also quite important so aros can go to bottom and escape and submit to dominant aros. Another option is 3m x 1.2m by 60 12mm with a safety factor of 3.2 is that ok? or will the glass still bow due to the length? i figure, if you brace say every metre, and do quite thick bracing front and back .... should that be ok?

I am having issues now in terms of logistics!

Yeah, My new tank set up, i am planning to have it quite 'sealed' so, really, no openings as much as possible, tiny openings. feeding hole at the top. so evaporation is almost none etc. hard to explain. no corners taken out of lids and stuff like that. socks chamber covered fully wtih hole on the side of tower and a manifold to distribute water from overflows. but yes, circulating air i suppose is important, dehumidifier i guess. Fan? or occasionally opening a door i guess. but i think i am gonna really focus on insulation for the ceiling, walls, covering upt he window. ply over it SO is that the case, insulating the room is better than the tank walls? i thought so too but just wanted feedback

house offer accepted:D tank build... almost in progress ok, questions Proposed tank size: 3m x 1.2m x 80cm high 2800L back up tank size (not ideal but hey such as life) 3m x 1m x 70cm h 2100L questions: 1) if i fully insulate the garage, talking green stuff and ply over it on ceiling, walls. is it worth bothering with putting poly on the glass itself on side, back? 2) once i heat the tank to say 26/27c, according to online calculators, heaing to 28 and the heat loss is much greater than heating to 26/27c... the fish i want will thrive in 26 to 27c anyways! will the heat loss and heating cost be much different for the 2 sizes proposed IF the garage is fully insulated? 3) if fully insulated, that means in summer, i cant harness the sun beating down on the garage .... is this the case? how does one harness this heat? garage floor is concrete, cant have carpet.

i put 300 grams of oyster shell in a stocking bag and put it on the high flow corner of my sump media area. ph is climbed almost 0.50!! just over night, slowly but surely. it is more to buffer, so when i do a water change today/tomorrow, the ph should go up slightly and the shells should help buffer it, problem solved i think! i did get some coral rock still, ill either use some now or save it for new set up, bigger volume may need a tad more buffering. ill incorporate the coral as media

cool

well, i wouldnt say it crashed, i suppose it was me getting complecent:D thinking the ph is fine. then caught it at a very low ph. i noticed the aro scales started to chip at the edges. This is a symptom of ph swings OR ph too low. and i dont think it was the swing, i think it was the PH being too low. in time it just went down, due to fish waste, i do water changes, but it was probably when i went overseas and had 35 goldfish feeders in there:P but when i checked on oysters to buffer it as i did before, it was all gone, dissolved. nothing tooo major, but i want to know the most efficient way to 'tune' my sump i suppose:)

no wood at all. the water is too soft nad ph is way way too low just needs to be bumped up a little bit. my oyster shell in a pounch disappeared, crashing ph so i am putting in oyster shell again and was thinking of putting in some coral rock, not too much as i still want the water quite soft. baking soda is good as an extra buffer but i prefer something in the filter that lasts longer and doesnt need to be continually dosed with water changes. i want the tank to maintain close to 7, 6.5 to 7 is ideal for me.

In Biosuppliers defence, i have had ONLY good dealings with them. They are the top insect provider for NZ. you have to understand, i dont believe this fella sells to the public much, he focuses on stores and contracts outside of public arenas. Think zoos. If he doesnt wanna sell to you, its cos he probably has a much more important commitment for it. as for mealworm shortage, i believe this has changed somewhat, but once again, This company focuses on supplying stores and large outfits. Locusts are easy to breed sure, but commercially is a different case. Think few thousands a week as a standing order perhaps? then you can relate to the comment of special methods. He will not disclose his techniques as they are probably commercially sensitive.

Hi GUys, ok, i got myself oyster shell and coral rock. But here is what intrigued me. My tank is designed for soft water. in a nutshell. GH is for hardness... whcih is not what i want. KH is carbonate hardness which is for buffering (preventing ph swings) my tap water is 6.9ph. my desired ph is 6.5 to 7 So, oyster shell DOES NOT raise ph.... it increases KH whcih buffers my water... great. DO I NEED CORAL BITS? cos that will increase my GH as well as PH..... So in theory, i can put oyster shell / initially supplemented by baking soda if required to increase KH. then with regular water changes, the ph should balance out at the desired PH. OR should i put SOME coral bits in there? i mean i am sure that putting 200g, 400, 1kg even in a 3000litre system will not make my water 'hard' ... and will still be considered soft, but the ph may be kept better maintained? let me know your thoughts

That chamber I will put it on will suit rough and high flow media.... I think coral bits is a winner! Thanks!

looking forsomething to permanently put in my sump not substrate. wtih in the bio media to raise ph, jsut ofund my ph ridiculously low, causing my arowana scales to chip. it has not lost its appetite nor being active, other fish are ok but realoly needs to be higher. so, i was thinking for space and efficiency, aragonite or oyster shell where does one get oyster shell or aragonite in bulk?

as subject any differents with the 3 above or do they all do the same thing? raise ph and make water harder? feedback would be great!

Yes i undersatnd for reef set ups but wouldnt raising the calcium content for fw, in a small scale also raise PH? i wont do it yet, i will monitor ph first. i just dont like it crashing, stable condition is the key. so still considering small oyster/marble/aragonite content in my media to buffer and stabilise the ph... see hwo it goes i suppose but yeah, exploring options!

yeah, my temp controller is engineering grade - so doesnt reset with power cuts, is quite a good unit. but ph monitor, is not as critical i suppose, i dont even knw if i will bother using the controller - i just want that option i suppose. i bought it, the reviews online are moderate to good - whcih is enough for my needs. the probe is tipped to last 2 approx years which i believe is a generic type probe anyways and suggested to calibrate every 3 months, thats fine. as for csalcium reactor, dot think i will spend the money. i will prob just make my diy one to bring calcium up and hook up a submersible pump into the controller and do one that way with some plastic container or an airpump and coke bottle in the sump!

I think i will get a weipro ph minotor/controller i think i can plug a calcium reactor in to this. would a calcium reactor be more effective in raising ph? example: Ph desired: 6.8 unit turns on at 6.6 calcium reactor then reaises ph to 6.8 and unit turns off. would this work?

might seem silly just saw that it can power a calcium reactor. which is bringing ph up! didnt know that i could use something that is not just piling on oyster shell or similar in my system to bring calcium up!

well, i figure no one is responding to the other one as it is a different topic. so i started a new one to get answers faster. although i understand your desire for me to buy one already :lar: I havent had anyone tell me what they think of weipro! :dunno:

any feedbac on weipro stuff? I am considering a Hanna Ph Monitor and a Weipro Ph Monitor. both are intended for continuous use - look similar in spec and price. but i dont need a pro hydroponic unit, i mean, really if it does the job... ill be happy. so any feedback on weipro?

http://www.trademe.co.nz/pets-animals/f ... 579573.htm or this

I am told that many occasions the chips in them are identical. but should i get the HANNA brand - or weipro from a TM seller? how is a weipro in term sof quality? http://www.trademe.co.nz/pets-animals/f ... 579639.htm

so adding co2 will increase ph my pro\blem is keeping it higher, ph naturally winds down what can i use to bring it up with a controller i was going to just use oyster shell and add slowly untill the balance is right, so needikng a ph monitor really to get a 'live' reading... i can measure ph bu with drops, its a pain