caserole

m-any :oops:

That was the situation I was in (relatively uninsulated home) , but I was running many more tanks than you are(Matt is. In fact I was heating a room the same size as my new fish room) and my power bill did go down. But it may not for you. Hows that Luke?

Matt said he has 1/2 Doz tanks in a largely unheated home. and moving to heating a room with around 80-100 x 2' tanks(or similar) + more lights. With out actually knowing what Matt spends on power it's imposable to say but looks like a LOT more water to heat. Of cause he didn't say how big those 1/2 Doz tanks are either.

That was the situation I was in, but I was running any more tanks and my power bill did go down. But it may not for you.

The reason most people don't have the ideal fish room is cost, I did all the work I could myself but you still need tradesmen for some things. A drain connected to the sewer.$1000.00 Electrical work, including an rcd on your main switch board(you will have spills)I had a pipe burst, it sprayed my power board outside my fish room with LTs of water, I was right there when it happened >>> I would be dead if I didn't have one! Installation of power to my shed and fish room cost over a grand @ mates rates > worth every penny. Plumbing of the tanks I did myself, I even got trade prices for the pvc and it still cost $1000's just for the pvc. If you need a lot of new tanks this can be expensive too, find a glassier who can help. I think you have one close by that posts here(nzka). You may have to compromise, spend the money on essentials and then on things that make working in there convenient. A tank syphon system like Phil's is not ideal but it does work for him, you may find it does not work for you in all cases. As you formulate your plans - lay out, stand in your shed and visualise not only what it would look like but how things will work > trouble shoot before you build. If you want a great fish room, you may have to go on holiday and visit many people with fish rooms good and bad > we learn form our mistakes allow others mistakes to help you(I know that's what your doing here but there's nothing like seeing it and poking you head under and over to see for yourself, getting people to show you how they did things out side your knowledge). All my ideas I got from looking at 5 fish rooms(4 were local, lucky)and still I would change things if I could do it again, small things that allows improvisation to work better. You may find things you want to do - there is no equipment for(plumbing mainly), making things for yourself - improvising works wonders, there are always ways to make ideas come to life.

Maybe I could have worded myself better, I use a fan heater and only in winter do I see it turn on, then for only a very short time frame.

Yeah I have hot dip galvanised stands too, the thought of all the wasted space with wood not to mention the work. With hot dip the stands take a trip and come back ready to fill with tanks. No under coat, several layers of top coat etc. Here's another thing I was contuse of, the top tanks should not be so high you are straining your neck. the top row of tanks are at MY eye level so I can see right to the back standing normally.

If I know you were going to post that I would have taken a updated pic of a slightly bet made one. :lol:

I wouldn't have time for my fish room if I didn't have a recirculating sump system. An over flow can be cut in the sump so auto water changes can be done or if your pump turns off the return water wont overflow onto the floor, nothing like crystal clear water. Powerful pumps are now cheep as well. If a sump system is out side your budget, a tank with a sump pump(turns on automaticly once the water rises to a set hight and then of again) can be used. Place your waste water in there and out it goes down the drain. This can be done directly when you syphon or poured into a large bucket that will drain in to it (just in case you suck up fish or fry).

Floor covering > I would not use any form of carpeting > that is ANY FORM, it gets wet, traps water under it, hard to clean, can grow mould and so on. I use exercise rubber mats that interlock, you can buy them from mitre 10, they come in packs of 3 but If your floor space is greater more can be locked together, even cut so every mm is covered. If the floor gets wet(what a surprise) simply lift them up on there side(leaning against a stand) and the water will(if you have good air flow) evaporate quickly. And if they get dirty take them out side and give them a scrub with soapy water and there as good as new. There nice to walk on to.

A heat pump is the best option but if you don't want to go to that expense, then there are things to consider. A fan heater attached to a decent thermostat does not switch on very often and is not on for long when it does, so although they do use more electricity then other heaters they maybe the most cost effective way to top up the temperature. ?

Oh yes this is very important, one of the most!!!! Make sure you have plenty of room for YOU, I can't tell you how much of pain it would become if each time you lent over to have a look in your bottom tanks and your backside hits the tanks on the opposite side of the ail. It of cause depends on how tall your are or not as the case maybe but rule of thumb is no less then 750mm - 1meter ails. It sounds funny I know, but you want to like being in there and not get a bruised bottom :oops: or a cracked tank.

Because dear Caryl I now use Firefox and have downloaded an on line spell checker that goes with it. :lol: :lol:

Usless information time. It will definitely be ok with the fish as it was the original secret ingredient to curdle tofu > a long long time ago in China. It naturally occurs in the Szechuan(spelling?) area that had the big earth quake a few months back.

Have you thought of culturing wingless fruit flies?

Did some one crack the whip? Yes please :lol: :lol:

There may be some truth to that, however cardinals breed in black water - deep under the flooded forest canopy so they certainly would not see the moon but maybe fell it's gravitational pull or lack of it as the case maybe.

If they are properly conditioned and the fish haven't spawned by the 3 morning they probably wont and should be removed. So in answer to your question - to or not to feed ? defiantly DO NOT FEED!

You take a sneak peek with a flash light(less powerful then sunlight), if there are eggs you quickly remove the adults and replace the covers.

Yes, to begin with. When you fell you may need a large filter keep the old one going until the new one has been going for a while so you don't get problems. One thing with gouramis is that you need a good lid,it will keep the air above the water warmer and have a higher humidity then out side the tanks environment, this is important when the babies start breathing air.

So you are saying they are in that range 20-25?

Excellent

Barrie all the Scheeli we have have come from southern man, so if you want some cichlid7 it would be cheaper for you and better for the club if you got them from Otago. I have been on to southern man to rejoin and I think he has just done it, if not he will - WONT HE :lol:

Part of the records are how old the fish are, if you leave virgins to long before mating you can have problems.

I find they come in once or twice a year depending on how quickly the wholesalers can sell them. The pic you put up Neon is a particularly nice example, they don't all ways look as good as that.