Aquatopia

Well at this early stage it is OK sure. But they can get to 2-3 feet in length. I personally think that a fish that size doesn't belong in anything but the largest home tanks, if at all. Its a bit like housing a polar bear in a room the size of a lounge. I can understand how people like them when they are small, but I'm big on thinking about the fish's long term welfare. I have a freshwater video that shows a stunning example. Its kept in a 10' tank.

Scoobyjene - what size tank are you contemplating putting this fish in when it is fully grown ?

C'mon then chim - off you go to take on-site pics of each type for all of us to see..... (I'll be the paid cameraman ok )

It owes you more than $60k dude? Bugger ! Thats even more than Steve Weasts'. Must get back to your project post and finish reading it.

You'll need a fair few frags there Pies - would need the tank thrown in too, along with all the equipment. Would of course, be happy to just swap houses. Christchurch is lovely this time of year....NOT !

Hi Chim, Yeah - Ive just been doing the maths on my original plans, and even though im only planning something small it still mounts up. BAck to the drawing board. Im gonna have to go the same route most do and thats end up spending more in the long run because i need to save in the short term. Same old story. Want it now but only have tomorrow dollars! Anyone wanna buy an RSKB4 ??

Anyone using the AquaC - EV120 Protein Skimmer or that range? They are on Marine Depot. Im having a cost crisis at the moment. Aargh.

DUKE - is it a reef or fish only setup? How old is the tank (ie how long has it been running)? Did the other fish 'disappear' or did you observe signs of illness in them first? Do you run a UV at all? Sorry about the clown fish

Hi Back North in the UK (yeh, WAY back north), most Discus dudes would use RO water and the relevant pH6.5 buffer for their precious babies. Expensive (although RO off the internet is cheap) but the best way. They used to say it made them far more likely to breed too.

This is the start of what will be an interesting thread, and breeding is something i am really keen to do too. I have a couple of questions;- 1) Are Clownfish generally considered the easiest marine fish to breed and successfully rear the fry? (Not that ANY are easy, but you know what i mean) 2) Which Clownfish book is being referred to ? 3) PIES - What are your plans on obtaining, and maintaining the various food types needed for the various stages of the frys' development. 4) PIES - On the subject of an anemone - will you be providing MH lighting ?

Thanks Pies - perhaps the person who told me that DID mean the solenoid. So what does that mean - you just hook up the regulator and set it to however many bubbles per minute you want/need ? Im looking at the smallest one there - but then my tank will only be about 70gals all up. Is my understanding of the theory OK there mate?

PIES - Would love to see those lionfish pics dude.

And a follow up - I had been told that the Korallins are so good you dont even need the COs regulator ! IS that safe ?

Thinking of going blond Alan?> :lol: Seriously though - isnt that what hairdressers use? They may have the stuff, although i dont know how pure it would be.

Hi I have found this item, http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_calcium_reactors_korallin_kalkreactor.asp?CartId= Its the Korallin calcium reactor, available at Marine Depot. You can get it as a package to include the CO2 regulator/solenoid and some media too. Im not sure if I should get the regulator etc from abroad - will they work here (electrics)? - will they connect to the CO2 bottles we have here? Just wondered if this is the best way to go? It claims you do NOT need to add kalkwasser when you use this reactor as the CO2 is controlled and you dont lose pH or dKH. Is that what anyone else has found? Im still not too familiar with the difference between calcium reactors and kalkwasser addition. I will say what i understand then maybe the techie guys can jump in and help me out. My Understanding Right - so you need to increase calcium levels in order to sustain and enhance coral growth. To do this, CO2 is passed/filtered through media which is high in calcium compounds (such as aragonite). The acidity of the CO2 dissolves the calcium into solution and introduces it into the aquarium. From there i understood that because CO2 is acidic it can lead to a loss of pH in the aquarium so you need to buffer the alkalinity of the tank (alkalinity being the ability to maintain pH ??) by the addition of kalkwasser, which is a high pH (alkaline) liquid (when dissolved in a stirrer or other such method). The write up on that link says with that reactor you dont need to use kalkwasser because of its efficient use of CO2. Is that right or just marketing BS? ******** Also - how do controllers come into the equation? Do they measure the pH and increase or decrease the operation of the calcium reactor? If so how does this work - i mean - how do they actually do that? is that what the solenoid is for on the CO2 regulator? Would the controller open or close the solenoid? H E L P !! I think i am ALMOST there, but this particular technology is new to me. Thanks. :-? :-? :-? :-? :-?

Newtman - local coldwater is DEFINITELY marine. And good for you because they can be hard to keep. Do you use a chiller? Im guessing you must ? How about showing us some piccies and telling us all about it. (Maybe on a separate thread so we dont hijack this one aye).

Cookie - the English Channel was good? Really? whereabouts? I LIVED there untill a year ago and could only sever see a metre in front of me (despite having a Euro BLUE FLAG beach !! lol). I dont dive, have always wanted to. Would like to do a course and become an instructor. A mate of mine was all for emigrating to Oz to learn (he was already an accomplished diver), but then he found love.... POOR SOD ! LOL Can any of you regular divers recommend somewhere good to learn that is inexpensive ? Do you need any of your own stuff?

Yip - and the reason the wholesalers are even contemplating this is because the retailers are being too greedy with their markups and the customers are not buying the goods at all. This affects the wholesalers because they are not shifting anything so to protect their interests it is logical for them to sell direct. Cant blame them for that aye. But remember, some retailers ARE distributors / importers / wholesalers too. So where does the double margin belong in this scenario !!?? Anyway --- back on track ?? Basic Reef ?? OR maybe this is something people want to continue talking about and we should set up a separate thread and get a moderator to move the (ever increasing) portion of this thread to the new one so that this one can continue on topic.

OK, So we seem to have some consensus on the problems with certain LFS pricing policies, and we have said what we think they ought to do. Its over to them now. We have agreed we will quote "street price" in this thread as thats what people on here have the "savvy" to acquire. That gives us a good grounding to continue now with this thread - i.e. to agree on equipment for a basic setup. The last comment on the topic of this thread was on PAGE 3, prior to Moderator Bruce's posting. Can we continue from there? :-?

Caper - thats what this place is for - to help each other out (although sometimes things may get a little irate, lol). Ive been in the South Island here for just a year now and encountered two earthquakes that i felt, but there are many more that we dont feel. They dont cause damage mostly - but you can feel the house move ! Maybe even a painting could come down ! Its no biggie most of the time. Good luck with your plans. And let us know if you need any more help.

OK - so you have practically no fish in at the moment - thats good. The polystyrene needs to be only about 6-10mm thick for a tank that size. Seriously - you have to do it. The tank could be fine, but all it needs is a slight twist in what its sitting on or a fine particle of dirt that even you could not see and there is a chance it will crack or pop its seams. What would the fish feel about a 50% water change? We are not saying thats what you should do - take the water out and store it then put it back in. Better still, do it at the same time you would do a water change, take out 50%, discard 25% and retain the rest. Syphon off 25% from the top of the tank and retain it, then use your tank hoover to clean the gravel to get rid of 25% more of the water. A tank that size with two of you lifting it whilst supporting it properly will not pose a problem. I have lifted a 3' x 18" x 15" with lots of gravel and 30% water in no worries.

Firstly, if one place is $600 more expensive than another place for the same item, they dont even deserve to be given the opportunity to match a price. In my opinion they should just lose out because they are blatantly trying it on. If I quoted 75% more than my competitors for a job, would my customers say "Hang on, they are only charging X down the road, will you match it?" or would they think - "What a con-man, Im not going to him?". Precisely, the latter on the whole. Where does the LFS fit in? HOPEFULLY, in a positive role, having seriously considered their pricing policy and woken up to the competition of new wave online stores. Its really that simple. They wouldnt even need to be as cheap as the online stores, just so long as there was a FAIR margin. But as so many other members on here have said already (and this is the last time Im going to say it too). If you can make a huge saving elsewhere then thats where you will go. If the LFS priced these items in such a way that they were slightly more than the online price plus shipping, they would get the custom. They would not have onward shipping to pay either because they would be selling direct to the customer. What do they need to supply? Mostly the same as now but at a fair price. But in addition they need to be aware of new products and start asking their wholesalers to bring them in (but dont bother if they are going to be much more expensive than online, because we know the street price of this stuff aye !). It couldnt be more simple. I dont want to see LFS's struggling more and more with the advent of internet purchasing. None of us do I dont imagine. On the whole (there are exceptions to every rule), you can expect good friendly service. Often that even comes with a vast knowledge and enthusiasm. But its no use relying on being a nice guy. You have to be a fair and realistic nice guy. At the end of the day, Customers are fickle creatures. They dont care about anyone else's pocket but their own. And thats fair dinkum isnt it. So as a retailer or wholesaler, if you cater to that you will be successful.

Can you explain to me why ONE store is retailing a lighting system at $1500 and ANOTHER store is retailing THE EXACT SAME ITEM for $900. Is one store just being plain greedy, or is the wholesaler giving the cheaper store a better deal? Hmm, I think i know what my answer is to that one ! Making a profit is one thing. Charging the flaming earth is something totally different. WHEN will retailers and probably some wholesalers too, realise that there is profit in volume? Cant afford to reduce your margin? I would say you cant afford NOT to if you EVER want to compete with the internet. Its here to stay and its only going to get more competetive. Take the punt now - have a sparse year, get lots more interested in the hobby and hey - you got your hook. We still have to come to you for the fish and livestock, and maybe, just maybe if your hardgoods were cheaper too we would wave online stores goodbye.

Mystic - I stand corrected aye ! I had been led to believe that they liked a few others around but i must have been thinking about a different fish. I was right about the blood work at least , lol.

Ira - precisely. But I think the point they are making is professional as in on commercial setups and fishfarms etc. Who knows. Yes - the venturi would be pointless in its location in respect of where the pump is. Control - yeah pretty good at DIY if i have a fair idea of what im up to. See PM re this.