DiverJohn

I would be interested in some details on the thermometers/ controllers you are using Alan. DJ

I found a source for 70W and 150W RX7 (double ended bulbs) Metal halide that are available in 6500K, but there are none in the country and they would have to order some in from Aussie... and i am not sure they will run in the cheap halogen fittings from bunnings et al.

Dont know if this is any help but a while ago I sent an email to the people at "Nu Klear" - the mirror demister people. http://www.nuklearproducts.co.nz/ Check out this page. http://www.nuklearproducts.co.nz/pages/horticulture/index.html Dont quote me (and i cant find the correspondance) but I seem to recall that the product they sell puts out about 80W per meter.... I ran the idea of under tank heating past them and I was told it should be OK. Anyway... just a thought...

HI luke, Yeah it sounds a bit "dodgy" but works sweet. If I was going to "redo " the electrical, the timers i would use proper plugs and plug each item in seperatly but at the moment all i have a cheap bunnings timer, the piggy back plug, then one of the flouro sets. Pic says it all really... CO2 is the black power lead, flouro's are on the white one ] Works really sweet. As for the pH controller.. i dont run one, I dont have a spare arm or leg!!! Had a look around for industrial equipment but I think its one of those high tech gadgets that regardless of the source (industrial or LFS) its going to cost heaps. I found one place selling a basic model for about 700, plus the probe was about 180, then add the govt's share!! If you find one for a reasonable price let me know... i might be interested :-)

here... http://www.valves.co.nz/ Check the bottom of this post for details http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/c02-cylinder-recommendations-vt5720.html HTH John

I have gone away from the idea of a sump for my new tank... going to stick with two cannister filters. Interestingly I have found a supplier of 6500K metal halide in Auckland, which on paper sound like the ultimate in lighting for a FW tank. I had a closer look at the lumen outputs for a 70W and a 150W MH which were 5000 and 11000 lumens. But an 80W T5 puts out 5700 lumens. Giving the MH's about 14% beter efficiacy. But with added complications of heat caused by the MH's, i think i will be keeping the T5's flouro's on the drawing board for the moment. HTH John

Sweet 8)

Thats kewl!! Might be an idea to check the phosphate anyway.... this is sounding very familiar.

I was wondering this myself. Even tho Pene is using the plant sticks if you pull out the plants then the nutrients "stored" in the substrate will be dispersed into the water column. I used JBL phos-sorb ( i think thats what it was called, but definatly JBL) worked a treat comes with two little socks to put the product into. But of course wait and see what the test says....

Hi Pene... I suffered for several weeks (months?) a while back with exactly what you describe... foggy water. IN the end I increased the qty of my water changes to 30% ( i was doing 10%) I also bought a phostphate test kit and while the level wasnt "off the chart", it was quite hi. The phosphate test kit is kinda pricey so could be worthwhile taking a sample in to the LFS... even at $1 it is probably going to be cheaper than buying a kit. I added a phospahte absorber to lower the PO4 levels. I also changed from a LFS liquid fert, to PMDD. If your plants are growing well you may reconcider gravel vac's. I last vac'd my tank about 2 months ago.

Do you add fertiliser?? Do you test for phostphate?

Ah ha!!! That pic on the left looks EXACTLY like the "No Name Sword" i have in my tank... iisfaq, are those leaves on the end of a a single stalk ?? Any ideas people??

Hmmm.... not sure about those lights. "10000K" is usually for marine setups and I woudl have thought there would have been a distict blue tint if they were true 10000K tubes? The "purple " one @ 15,000K.... dodgy. How old are they?? if new you cna probably run with them for a while but look to replace them soon ish. The dont sound right from the numbers you gave. HTH

What are the number(s) description on the tubes, will know pretty quick once i have that.

Jansens @ botany have Eheim Auto feeders on special for 99.95

Oh bugger, thats a shame you chucked it out... If conditions are right most plants are quite resilient and come back... sometimes stronger than what you buy at the shop! I sometimes wonder how much the LFS's look after their plants "instore". I guess they order them in weekly, they only have to look good for a few days and then they order in fresh stuff. Meantime they have been in the dark for two days very little water & nutrients in transit. Its no wonder they kark it after a week in your tank. Just my thoughts tho...

Hey, nice pics! Different angle on them shows what i call a "wavey" stem. The plant I thought it was (the unidentified one) has a very characterist straight stem with a single leaf at the end. Alan may be right, I have no idea what E. cordifolius looks like.

With respect... I dont think your ID is correct. E. Orisis* dosn't look like that ( certainly not in the submerged form at least ) And if the specimen is the emergent form, then they are going to die of since the plant is now submerged. Also the babies dont look like that either. Babies grown off the stalk look like "Mini Me's" of the parent. *Check out http://www.fnzas.org.nz/plant_survey/aquarium_plants/?user_plants=52&cHash=d098544e42 And some more recent pics:

Hmmm, looks like a "generic amazon sword" (never did ID it) I got from the fish shop last year. Did exactly the same thing... over the next couple of days (weeks) its going to go pale, go soft, holes appear in it, and generally make the tank look horrible and you will get annoyed at the fish shop. My suggestion is cut it back and leave the stem and roots in place and forget it...it will grow back and surprise you. Then you will do this >> :bounce: (sorry guys just had to use it once!!)

Yes agree... feeding can be "random" if a bit of flake gets trapped in the opening. But i have never had one block completely. And usually sorts its self out next time around.. or the next. A uniform size granual works better than flake.

Not sure how they stand up to the salt water environment but i run one on my FW setup, and my bro' has one on his gold fish tank.. Work a treat.

The people at palmers will wonder whats going on!!! thats were i got some as well! :lol: :lol:

Apart from the hirage, a "refill" @ BOC is about $26 for the small ( i think 5kg bottle )

12 hours for me...