Jump to content
Latest Issue of Aquarium World Magazine.

Aquatopia

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1472

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Profiles

Forums

Events

Plant Articles

Fish Articles & Guides

Clubs

Gallery

Everything posted by Aquatopia

  1. Aquatopia
    some names ?
  2. Aquatopia
    Is there a certain percentage of covering you need, or are specific plants more suitable ?
  3. Aquatopia
    i have heard that before phoenix44 - whats the reasoning behind it ?
  4. Aquatopia
    Keep your eye on TM for cheap deals - you dont actually need to buy a full kit either. Having said that you can buy s test strip kit that you dip into the tank water (in a cup not in the tank) and it gives you readings for all you need and they are half the $80 you mentioned. If you are gonna spend money on fish you need to spend money on making sure you can keep them alive first - thats your responsibility to the fish and to your wallet.
  5. Aquatopia
    Im impressed ! And amazed :-? And i DO believe if it aint broke dont fix it so if it works for you all good. May not work for everyone though.
  6. Aquatopia
    plus i understand that a lot of test kits give different results depending on temperature so you may find the results at the shop are not accurate.
  7. Aquatopia
    i reckon you would be amazed at how small particles can get underneath the substrate and form a sludge. IMO not vaccing gravel is risky.
  8. Aquatopia
    who said the two events have to occur at the same time ? just as long as they occur. and for the person who wants to be as meticulous about the gravel cleaning as aquavitimins, it seems a good option.
  9. Aquatopia
    Tom congrats Where are they pics ? :-)
  10. Aquatopia
    Yip, the important element being enough T5's - by the time I had that I would have spent a lot of money and replacing all those tubes would be as expensive if not more than replacing a 150w MH. Thanks for the hollow hood idea - but my cats are clever cats - it needs to be totally inaccessible for them :-)
  11. Aquatopia
    They haven't arrived yet but as the unit is basically brand new i am sure its a modern ballast - time will tell
  12. Aquatopia
    Thanks Suphew - much appreciated input. I will wait till the light unit arrives - its practically new and cost the original owner $995. They used it for 1 week only. Once i have it I can see it and start to plan the lid in more detail.
  13. Aquatopia
    LOL - I only look forward to buying some MEDIUM cheap babies in the future, hehe . I nearly bid on them myself.
  14. Aquatopia
    thanks phoenix44 - and an impressive looking tank it was ! Did the hood go any higher than we see in the pic ? I could have mesh or grills in the back and sides of the lid.
  15. Aquatopia
    Point taken jolliolli - though wouldnt the combined heat of 2 x 250w turned on for a normal lighting duration still generate a lot more heat than 1 x 150w for just 2-3 hours ?
  16. Aquatopia
    phoenix44 - what about an earlier suggestion of making a wooden lid and fitting the unit into that ? Im still not convinced that the amount of heat generated from only being on a couple of hours is going to be a problem - and now i have said that Im sure i will be proved wrong but running a couple of fans for that duration is not an issue for me. Really - a couple of fans is going to cost a few cents an hour.
  17. Aquatopia
    I don't think the running costs of a 150w bulb for the duration I will have it on is an issue. The heat I can control as described. The unit I have got has T8's built in so I plan to run it on just those and then have the MH illuminated for a shorter period in the evening for viewing. Plus if I were to invest in T5's it would require extra $$ anyway. Plus I like the effect they have visually :-)
  18. Aquatopia
    Why do you say that HaNs ?
  19. Aquatopia
    i would love to go that look too - the cats would love it too - they would have their very own warm swing to lay on (and break !)
  20. Aquatopia
    i was originally planning to make a wooden hood for the tank - then when i thought of the metal halide (its an arcadia series 3 with on MH bulb and two flouro's) i thought i might attach it to the underneath of the hinged hood lid somehow - if you think heat might be an issue i could ensure ventilation at the back panel of the lid and/or in the top too - and even put one or two cheap computer fans in the hood for added cooling. what do you think ?
  21. Aquatopia
    pheonix44 - no lids ? at all ? hmm, may be a problem as i have cats who like to swim, lol - how about having SOME cover outside of the main zone the MH shines directly over?
  22. Aquatopia
    hi - i know MH is mostly used for planted or salty aquariums but what are the experts opinions on here of using them for an 18" tall cichlid aquarium ? the reason I think they might be cool is because that type of light tends to be quite vibrant and if the water surface ripples then the MH's make that reflect on the bottom of the tank any reasons why they might be good or bad ?
  23. Aquatopia
    LOL, i was talking about the STAND being black - though its more of a cabinet than stand I guess. Having said that, if you meant sand, I do have black sand for it - i got it from a local landscapers and its crushed limestone.
  24. Aquatopia
    I will, though the project may take a few weeks.
  25. Aquatopia
    I hope so - I have a BLACK stand though, so will look odd to start but I intend to sell it and build a new Pine stand too using solid 1" Pine. I can get 2050mm x 830mm for $48.00 (Is that a good price) ?
×
×
  • Create New...