Aquatopia

Brianemone - well thats bad news in a way, but if it didnt cause any ill affect thats good. I think its proof of the pudding that skimmers are an essential element myself. I know some purists say they are no longer necessary but they cover a range of eventualities and i personally feel the downsides nowhere near match the benefits they offer. Get some snaps next time dude.

Brianemone. I can tell you which files to delete on the work computer if you dont wanna get caught, lol. No, for sure, none of us would want that to happen on such a grand scale and have a tank wipeout. Would love to do it on a scientific experimentation basis as suggested though. Its a good sign for your water parameters for your fungia to be at it though. Did the skimmer go haywire?

Im sure we would all prefer our fish to live Brianemone. I dont think anyone, especially me, is advocating doing anything that would endanger them or be unmanageable by our filtration. Thats why I changed the drift from the notion of an in-existing-reef tank experiment to something more scientific. You wouldnt like to see corals reproducing sexually? I have seen it and it is fascinating. Sounds like regardless of what you would like to see your fungia is already doing it though, lol :lol: :lol:

Yeah Chim - I know that - what i was meaning is that we cannot affect gravity by physical intervention in the context of a hobby aquarium. Of course its still subject to ACTUAL gravity 8) What sort of moonlight do you have? is it phased or just on-off? Im thinking of having one. Saw an article in Marine World about one that MarcWeiss in the States had developed.. Used 1 watt of power ! Reviewed by Bob Goemans. It never made the UK market in 240v format because it didnt meet their standards so i guess its a no-go !! Shame - looked smart.

Really? Thats a b****r. OK, change the idea to a controlled environment, lol.

I had an interesting conversation with a fellow reefer the other day regarding moonphase and its affect on coral reproduction (sexual). Several lighting manufacturers as well as aquarium controller manufacturers incorporate moonphase technology into their products. Initially I thought - "great, get a light or controller with this function and your corals will be going for gold". The conversation steered towards studies that had been carried out which indicated that its not JUST the moonphase lighting condition that influences sexual reproduction in corals, but could well be the gravitational pull as well. Having seen the BBC's "The Blue Planet" again tonight, it seems not only is it moonphase and gravity but also the lower tidal flow associated with spring tides. All interesting stuff and you probably (most of you) know all this already. What i wondered is if any of you, with your sophisticated systems, had tried or would consider trying to replicate a combination of these. Of course we cant replicate gravity, but matching the moonphase of the lighting system to the ACTUAL moonphase, along with setting the aquarium flow to match seasonal tidal variations may just do it. Now that would be the mutz nutz if it worked huh. Maybe its just pie in the sky stuff, but interesting all the same. Your comments?

Gotta agree with steve on this one. If it was hidden it would be an awesome idea. Almost like the sun being at different angles at different times of the day (in that the light intensity hitting different areas would be varying). I guess the mechanism would need to be pretty quiet though.

Still reckon its worth giving them a try and asking for a copy - they may even be able to email it to you. They were remarkably helpful in putting me in touch with one of the American technical advisors who was writing a series of articles for them several years ago. Despite being a big magazine they are run on a friendly basis.

Sweet. Whatever you do - looking forward to seeing it. Brian - what construction theory and materials/finish are you hoping to use?

Brian - if its been put together in the first place doesnt it follow that it would come apart? Whats the difference between making it in the workshop or assembling it in the room its going to be used? Either way, it has to be assembled no ?

Just followed the links to the conclusion of subscription path. They have UK, Europe AND Rest of World subscriptions available. The ROW is £55 STG. That translates to approx $140 which IMHO is bloody expensive for that particular magazine. I dont know if its improved but the Marine section was "mediocre" at best when i used to get it. One of their technical advisors used to tell you one thing one month and then contradict himself the next. He has also written at least two books which do the same thing ! I reckon MARINE WORLD is a far better bet at £40 STG ROW subscription, and this is currently brought into NZ by Redwood Aquatics here in Chch - But having said that PFK is a good all round mag and does have something for everyone.

Alan, The folk at PFK are pretty friendly - Im sure if it was just a one-off article, if you asked them nicely they would copy it and post it to you. General, I'm wondering if they offer a worldwide subscription? I know other mags do, and that way they post airmail - arrives within 5 days of the mag being available in the UK.

How about having the cabinet made in "kit form" ?? Im thinking about that myself. Then you can build it up inside the room.

Love LPS - they rock ! Nice pics guys.

Nah, was thinking staight on to the front view. (Duh, but they will do. Theres so much on this thread i forget what i have seen now ! :lol: :lol: :lol: ) Cheers Pieman.

Yeh Pies - do u have one with the collar on - full size shot of the tank. Sweeeeeet.........

Gof for 5 if you can - they like company. Naturally lots together in the wild.

you will need to explain the implications of that to me jetski... Chim --- That Sequence is practically twice the gph of the top iwaki (and the iwaki figure is at zero head whilst the sequence is at 4' head). And thats $150US less money. Im getting very confused

Bummer - you cant get Sequence pumps on 240v ? Grrr :evil:

Chimera Yeh I know what you are saying, and if it was $100 difference, then sweet, but i have found some Iwakis that are $35 US. Incidentally, I have seen Sequence ReeFLOW Dart pumps on MArineDepot.com - they seem higher rated than the iwakis at a lower consumption for less money. I have read good reviews too. Anyone running them?

The ten gallon tank would be fine for three goldfish as long as you have suitable filtration and good aeration (do you have an air pump in there or is the filter output positioned in such a way that it breaks the water surface?). As well as considering the volume of water you need to consider surface area of the water. For example - you could have a really tall tank with lots of water in it but the surface area would be minimal. This means there is not much area for the carbon dioxide the fish breath out to be exchanged for oxygen. So you still could not keep many fish. On the other hand if you have a relatively flat tank with the same amount of water there would be much more surface area for gas exchange thus enabling you to keep more fish. See what i mean? So bear that in mind. I honestly would use the 10gall one for Sammy and two pals and set up a decent sized tropical freshwater tank - say 3 feet x 15 inches x 15 inches. You could use an undergravel filter with two powerheads and uplifts, or choose a suitable external canister filter with a spraybar return. This is where there is a tube with a strainer on the bottom which the tank water flows down to the chamber of the canister and is filtered through various media types - mechanical an mostly biological) it is then pumped back up by the canister pump and is returned to the tank through a horizontal pipe which has holes cut in it. You should position the bar so that the water coming out of the holes goes upwards slightly so that it just breaks the water surface. This provides aeration and water movement. - eheim or fluval are good but you may have your own brands there too). I used to have both on my trop tank (which was 36" x 18" x 18") but then I used to have a lot of fish. There are many things to consider, but as a corydoras catfish fan I would urge you to not buy a taller tank than 15" if you wish to keep these beautiful fish. They have to swim to the surface to breath and when they are tiny its hard work ! Darn it. I was going to try and resist the urge to have tropical freshwaters as well as marines this time. Its SO NOT WORKING. Lol.

Caper - feng shui is something you best do a search on google or another internet search engine. It has to do with correct flow of energy and is an ancient art/belief of oriental countries. Odd numbers - referring to species, ie have 7 or 9 or 11 neons, when we are talking about fish which usually shoal together. But also in a "biotype" aquarium - such as a goldfish tank or a cichlid tank - it means total number of fish. Thus it is believed better to have 3 or 5 or 7 goldfish or cichlids. There are exceptions to this. 1) Where you just want to keep a breeding pair 2) Where the species are agressive - ie you can only have 1 male siamese fighting fish (betta splendens) in a tank (with preferably zero or 3 or 5 females). That sounds as clear as mud as i read back over it but i hope you get my drift.

Caper - Its true, sorry, if the tank isnt level it could cause problems too because of the sideways pressure on the joints. It would have to be a fair amount of slant and a large tank though. Yes, I know what you mean about sammy. Get him a nice small tank to have a couple of goldfish friends to stay and keep him then. It wont be expensive. Then concentrate on the tropical community tank that you have started. Give yourself a fair while before embarking on another tank (other than Sammy's home). You need to be confident with running one properly for several months before a second one because you can find the maintenance starts to be a chore and then if you have too many you can end up giving it all up. Cichlids, hmm, can be quite specialised because of their ideal specific water requirements and behaviour issues. But dont let me put you off them because there are so many beautiful ones. With the right conditions they can be quite prolific breeders too - and that would be a wonderful thing for the kids.

With a couple of friends to play with I hope ! (incidentally odd numbers are always best - from an aesthetic point of view and also if you believe in feng shui)

Hey, no biggie - if you missed that point about the cracking i can understand why you would wonder about doing it. Its the cracking issue which is the most important factor. If a tank isnt level then at your size its not an issue - apart from seeing the water level at the top being untrue. Now, about that darned GOLDFISH, lol..... :lol: :lol: