cookie extreme

why didn't i think of that?

hi nodle, try to make it more then 2' deep, mine used to be 2', the new one is 710mm but still not deep enough!!! will it ever? i would even say cut it down in lenght if you have to just to give it more depth. with a long slim tank you'll have less aquascaping then with a deep tank even if its not that long.

i ran currently a BLV on my arcadia 250W ballast, and it also seems very yellow . the bulb states its 10000k cw. basicly the same as my 150w AB bulb (yes i know that the 10000k AB is actually more like 12000k) but the light difference is amazing (the 250w looks like crap!!), its really yellow/green, nothing like the 150w AB which is crisp white. i am getting a different ballast to try from brendon (zeovitnz) on monday and will update if it is the ballast or the bulb. i have been ask what kind of ballast my 150w is. i only know its an HQI and its 20 years old (and still works )

do you put your standards to use on your own tank?

get real people, its hobbyist like you and me who always want something new, or unusual pieces or LR (just look at how many would like to have some). if there is a demand there will always be a supply (be it legal or illegal). just like pies said if it isn't allowed in someone will smuggle it in. to attack importers isn't fair not because they try to satisfy demand but also because the grey zone in this matter is pretty big. MAF themselves can't distingush between certain corals. not that long ago only very few corals were allowed in to NZ. petitions and long letters were written to maf to increase the allowed list (like clams, many leathers ans stonies). this was done by importers to give hobbyists more choice in lifestock. its like if we don't support LFS and they all close and in the end we get nothing in this country anymore that has to do with marines, who's fault would that be? The LFS for being "so"overly priced (hey ben at jansens likes his job) or the importers who sell "overpriced" lifestock to the LFS or maybe is it us for not supporting them??? it all comes down to demand. if there is a demand then people will try to fill it. if not the present importers then newer ones. we shouldn't pass the bucket, lots has has bee written on this side especially about liferock etc. the same thing happend before with mushrooms, remember?? instread of attacking each other we should work together in trying to find a solution or the diversity and "new corals" will drop to rock bottom. some people may find that appealing as they have a full tank. but what about newcomers, people with tank wipeouts or just some loses? this way of thinking is very narrow minded ( in for a quick buck for as long as it lasts never mind what comes later). so lets all at try to be on the same side - the marine aquarium hobby that is!!!!

it's back now for a meager $4000. AW ??

if there are huge fines in doing so doesn't that mean that ships have been doing it for quite a while and are now warned not to anymore?

or your daughter!!!!

na only worms and caulerpa! nearly attacked a tongan once who tried to sell me this beautifiul tridacna clam meat in a bag. :evil: also acro's don't get any softer even if you boil them for hours (same thing applies to island chickens too)

hi pies didn't mean to offend you at all. sorry if i did. what are you using at the moment for water changes if the weather is crap and probably will be for a while? weekly water changes tend to cost quite a bit on a large system using ASW (not just the salt but the makeup water aswell. :-?

what's difference??

wow what a star, might be worth some money in the future.

stunning westy1, looks great just like dogmatrix said! any chance to come and see your tank in the near future (hind hind)

maybe i should get my ass in gear and collect some too, maybe next weekend. iam of to the shops now. (hollywood and jansen's that is, who needs food if one can blow his money on fishies)

wher does it say shit in my post pies? don't post words i didn't say! what i am trying to get across is that some people have a very narrow minded view on this side and only believe they are right and everybody else who don't share this believe is wrong! some people sitr lots of crap and it will hurt this hobby very soon very bad. just wait and see.

most likely the bicolour angel, as it is not reef safe. some people who have it are just lucky. but could well be a nudibranch that eats xenia. spotted one nudibranch and eggs at hollywood on the shore last weekend, but don't know if it was a nasty one. also some tangs and crabs graze on xenia.

well i don't want to upset any of you, but your are all full of ^%$$&. i have had very succesful "reef tanks" in the maldives, the cook islands and tonga. i used NSW on a daily basis. it is not hard to have a gret tank with air con., NSW, Live rock, natural sunlight and constant water changes. this in my opinion is not a reef tank in aquarium terms!!!!!! i don't accept tanks that have a 10% or what ever daily change of water from a natural source, as RnB stated as an aquarium, there is not really a challenge what so ever NSW has a lot more stuff in it as some of you would agree to, but why would you use? just to save some dosh???? ASW is sterile i fully agree to that but it is save, and easy (so i am lazy :lol: ) always available, not dependend on the weather, etc. i tried using NSW but is was to much of a hassle. but i will still agree that it is better then ASW because of all the micro organizm that live in it if used right away, even if some "know it all reefers" say that water doesn't contain any living benefical stuff. but NSW also contains fertilieser from the land and this has to be remembered when collecting NSW. nowadays i change water not to remove utrients but to add trace elements and othe rstuff my "may need". i have zero nitrates and phospates. so why do i change water?? because my corals love it and grow very fast. anybody for a cutting? also my xenia has never crashed in many, many years. please read a.calfo's book on coral propagation as he pointed out that there are lots and lots of newbees (with lots of "great advise" who know it all after acouple of years of reef keeping)! if have been keeping corals and work as a chef for over 23 years but i still don't know it all. and maybe i never will!

listen to chimera, even he wishes now to have gone larger.

sorry chim but your tank wouldn't even hold half of them. should have gone bigger.

thats how i used to do it too. was to much mucking around. its a lot easier to chuck a rock on top, let the xenia grow onto it while uninjured and then cut it.

fully agree to that. although the last bit is rarely achived by most. hence quite a few on this forum struggle with high nitrates.

unless you use NSW you will have a very sterile tank for a pretty long time! also you will encounter spikes of ammonia, nitrite and quite a bit of nitrates. taking rock, sand and water from an existing tank will cut this time quite a bit. and it works out a lot cheaper too (something quite a few people in this forum are interested in 8) ) means there is no need to buy all those "starter wonder liquids", also prevents to some extent all the horrible algae blooms that come with a new setup and which frustrates newbees and seasoned reefer. but as always in this hobby there are many ways to get to rome!!

ever let your fresh NSW stand for a couple of weeks? what do you find on the bottom of the barrel? i pour old tank water into holding tanks with nothing else in it. and guess what lots of little critters poped up and thats only what i can see with a naked eye, how much more is in there is anybody's guess. also will save you some bucks to set up a tank in the beginnig, that if you use ASW of course.

i used to just cut the stem in half leaving the head with polyps unattached. it would settle soon and attach itself. nowadays i place a rock on top of the colony and wait 3-4 days before slicing it up, either stem only or whatever tickles my fancy. doesn't really make to much of a difference. new polyps will pop up after around 10 days and the new colony will grow rather fast after that. the new polyps will become visible as little jelly bubbles first. so don't panic not all xenia will branch, the white pompom doesn't seem to where jetskisteve's brown one does. if you have couple brown ones just slice the top of one in half (about 1/3 down the stem) this should create branching unless the xenia grows back together. happy slicing. i use a very sharp kitchen knife for it or a new razor blade. don't like to use siccors as they more often then not squeeze more then they cut.

sorry only the book. which i rate very highly. not many pictures but otherwise great information.