reef

Will get full tank pics this week Just another average tank. Still playing around with lighting. trying to loss a bit of the blue but bulbs i have tried are either very blue or white, need something with a small blue colour.

Some updates. Tank seems to be settling down since the removing some rocks. Getting good growth and some nice deep colours. Added some potassium chloride which improved the pastel colours of corals to a more nature look.

It might seem a hard thing to do but in reality it is a good idea as most fish are stressed and have been in a few tanks before arriving to its final home, so chances are that it will carry something. All you need is a bare tang with a heater and air stone. Change 50% of the water every few days. I would use your main tank water and mix fresh water for the main tank. It is also a good time to feed the fish lots as it is easy to clean up. You could add Salifert stop parasite or try seachem cupramine which is copper. But be careful as copper sucks as it affects the fish’s digestive system. I go with the theory that white spot is in a tank and causes problems when fish are stressed.

jetski wrote Who are all these mystery people?? I heard 1 person might have lost a few and some importer had a wipe-out of fish like flames etc. But that is about it over the last 3-4 weeks. Summer time is always white spot season due to the temperature fluctuations. This is based on the large number of requests for stop parasite.

Pies wrote Here is a quick price calculation I did based on internet sites. Still trying to figure how you get your calculation that the IKS is 5 x the cost of a aqua controller? Another throw away line . Based on US Dollars IKS Control unit $422 Ph probe $246 Redox $275 4 way socket $167 total usd$1110 Aquacontroller Control unit $346 Ph probe $170 Redox $195 6 way socket $252 total usd $963 Neptune AC 3 Control unit $439 Ph probe $59 Redox $74 4 way socket $124 interface $29 total usd $725 A cheaper option would be the AC2 or AC Jr The first two controllers include freight The x10 controls can be found for AUS$34 on special. used to be over $80 a few years ago Pies wrote Only Ph Hope this clarifies some of the misinformation

Quite a nice tank very nice acros colours without using additives http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-11/totm/index.php

Few places sell them. not cheap. http://www.ultimateaquatics.co.uk/acatalog/Aquatronica.html

What is Zeovit?? can you drink it. . There are a few around but all comes down to cost. The Neptune controller is ok if you dont want advance settings and additional probes. i would keep a few spare x10s. especially at the standard price of $32 quoted by pies.

FYI Cracker quote from book . Aquariology

You could use the bulbs much longer but the problem is the spectrum shift. over time the bulbs will shift to more red/green spectrum which could fuel algae growth. That is why buying cheap bulbs is not a good option as they will shift spectrum much quicker than quality bulbs.

Proof is in the pudding. Where?? yawn, yawn Having used x10 for many years I have found that they are not very reliable, had to get 6 replacements over a 12 month period. That is maybe why Neptune also offers a hard wire option. Sure you got your facts correct. ??show me how you worked that out??

I dont think so, Just is a good idea to quarantine all your fish for a few weeks before placing in your tank.

Is that what happened when you had a AC Ira.?? Actually my AC did some strange things like loss all its settings . The battery backup is not that good as it did not last long so i had to reset it when we had a power cut.

Looking forward to try you computer Layton. Having used many of them i found they all seem to lack something. The IKS is the best i have used as it does not use the stupid x10s which are rubbish, they also cant pulse pumps. also they are expensive as you need about 10 units. which will cost about $1000. Be good to get something that can turn the lights off when the tank gets to hot and then turn the lights back on after the tank has returned to normal temp. Be good to see if you can get a PO4 probe for it.

yes, most ratings on bulbs are rubbish anyway. as no 10ks look the same. some bulbs claim 20k etc. but who knows if they are.

it will be a one off, just dont have time to look after it.

Wrong section arthur

Finally been able to get some Rotifers. Pm if you want some.

I had a few Neptune pros a few years ago, Not that great, the x10s are rubbish as they break down and interfere with your TV etc, Layton should finish his hopefully this year. Currently use an IKS computer which works well, but they are not cheap once you get the full works.

yep, i did mine for 10 hours a day, could be less.

my tank Total Watts used: 4450 watts Watts per annum: 33580 hours per year Kilowatt hours used: 33.58 kw/hrs Lighting: $1284.8 per year (8030 kw/hrs) Pumps: $560.64 per year (3504 kw/hrs) Filtration: $350.4 per year (2190 kw/hrs) Heating: $700.8 per year (4380 kw/hrs) Other appliances: $560.64 per year (3504 kw/hrs) TOTAL: $3457.28

i think it was over $3000, have to recheck and post the results,

here is some info http://people.hws.edu/mitchell/oz/papers/markzon.html

Great calculator for power cost http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/electrical_costs.php

The taste test should be all you need , as that is as good the swinging arm is,