reef

Not sure on retail pricing yet, but could be around this mark looking at overseas pricing. 1000ml $110 250ml $50 It looks like it will cost about 20% more than salifert, so hopefully everyone will get 20% extra performance.

To use rowaphos correctly you have to fluidise it as it will work much better. I have used both Salifert and rowa in a sock, but have never fludise it, will soon see when all the reactors arrive in a few weeks if it is any better than Salifert. I would think that the rowaphos will be more effective in a fluidised filter as it will get much better water contact. Pricing could be a issue as it is not cheap, will cost more than salifert .

He does use the zeovit systems, however i doubt it would matter what system he uses it would still look the same as he has good filtration.

Not zeovit, Zeolite.

Incorrect section, try trade & exchange section.

Now that is a nice tank.

I think pies used his zeovite reactor and filled it up with the phostphate media.

The eheim pumps have also been modified so they can get more air into the skimmer, it is not a standard eheim pump.

It sure will work much better, but the deltec ap850 is 3 times the size of the schrun and to get a needle pump to run the schrun costs over $400 so it would not be worth it.

No comparison, No one really uses schuran for a reason. Deltec will out skim the schran any day. Although the large commercial schurans are good. You pay for what you get. The Deltec will outskim any skimmer you can get in NZ.

Control Will be great to see the tank. Proof will be in the pudding. Be good to see what tanks were like in the 1970s.

Good point. will change days.

Are you thinking of pommie Dave.?

AUckland, reef club s next meeting is still 5 june 2005, sun 1pm. Dave has been working hard to get his tank in shape. Well keep everyone posted.

A good example is. We have had recent new importers try to lower prices on livestock but reality has set in and they are even more expensive than the existing importers by as much as $10-$20 dollars on corals. The same goes with dry goods, why should a shop hold a skimmer for 6 months before they sell it. No profit in that. So prices are what they are for a reason. The market is much bigger overseas as they have a higher turn over of stock which means cheaper prices.

A online shop in not retail, When you go in to a america pet shop prices are more than american online shops.

Here is my basic reef tank just set up. SO far cost are. tankAr980 $1000 rock $200 skimmer to come. Deltec hangon about $800 heater $30 sand,redsea $100 coral $300 seahorse $600 gobies $100 pipefish $200 salt $100 Total cost so far. $3430 still to be added. iks computer $1000 Tunze turbelle pump $400 controller $300 I have added a quality skimmer as it would really be hard to maintain good water conditions otherwise. The thing to remember, fish/coral will be swimmimg in there own waste so it is important to filter the water well. I like the aquaone tanks. very tidy and cheap. I set the whole tank up in a few hours. HOw does the $500 system people have be quoting compare??

here is a link to metal halides for sale. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?t=6196

i agree with taking the bioballs out slowly, maybe a hand full once a week. This way you can slowly get the rocks in your tanl take the load,

Tank is looking very nice. got any full pics. Not bad for $1k

The pricing I gave was for a tank in the lounge. Not a DIY ugly looking thing in the corner with no hood. You can go cheaper but it is still going to cost for something that looks good. In Auckland it has been getting hotter every year so that is why I included a chiller, even t5s give off a lot of heat. The stream is overkill but at least it will be around in a year’s time and no need to upgrade pumps every year. Even fish like good current in a tank. I can think of lots of times when I was always buying bits here and there, best to just do it all at once. You will save more money this way in the long run. When you buy a home theater system you dont buy half the speakers. As I mentioned the price is on a quality system that will be able to house almost anything. At least this way the fish/coral have a chance to survive a long time.

That could be a problem, you cant just keep adding base rock as it will pollute the tank. best to do it all at once.

Deltec hangon skimmer $700 gravel $50 tank$ stand $700 Tunze stream $650 rock 50kg $500 t5 lights 4x39w $600 salifert test kits , ph,po4,calcium,kh,nitrate, $150 magnet cleaner $30 books $300 carbon $20 po4 remover $40 ro unit $250 refractometer $140 chiller $600 heaters $50 gravel cleaner $30 2x perc clowns $100 blue tang $80 Anemone $100 sixline wrasse $70 4x leathers $300 zoos $100 mushrooms $200 torch corals $120 brain coral $80 Total $5960 Now that is a quality basic setup, no crap gear and the fish/coral will be happy for years, no need to upgrade in 4 months. I probably mist a few things, very light on livestock, and items like salt mix, etc, Could be done a bit cheaper, but at least there is a good chance the fish/coral will be alive in 12 months. If going fish only you could save a$1000 or so.

Yes they have been keeping corals for decades, however they were not the best in health. No one in NZ had any acropora, if they did it was half dead. Only in the last 3-4 years the quality of tanks have really improved to the availability of quality skimmers etc. In the past all you could buy was a berlin and most hobbyist did not even skim much if at all. The quality of tanks now are really good compared to European tanks. In the past tanks in NZ were well below what they are now. All this has improved with the Internet and we are getting more hardcore reefers which pass on the knowledge. I am aware of this being the largest importer of marine fish/coral. However do we want to get to the stage that we treat coral and fish like disposable items as they are in the US. It is too cheap so hobbyist just replace the item instead of getting good filtration. Yes you can keep corals/fish alive for less than $4k, but in the long term hobbyist will have more problems and kill more fish before they upgrade. Why not do it right the first time. Our market share will never increase and that is a good thing. As I am more in favour of getting people in the hobby that can afford it. Sometime I really feel sorry for the fish as I am packing them, it feels like I am sending them on a death sentence thinking how long will they live for. Lets say 8000 fish arrive in the country every 12 months. We would have about say 200 hobbyist. That is 40 fish each per year. Where are they all?? I have not seen any tank with more than say 20 fish. So that is why I am in favour of getting hobbyist that can afford it into the hobby. Love to see these tanks. I do understand that people have different perception what a good tank looks like. To me a successful tank is a tank that has no algae; corals look good and are growing.

My thoughts are min $4k, if this is outside the budget then maybe the hobby is not for you. $4k sound a lot but when you add everything up it is not hard to get to that figure. Water quality is very important and you can’t get good water quality with a $1k, Corals/fish would survive but that is about it. Too many people treat fish/coral as disposable items which they are not. It is getting harder to get quality livestock in the country due to world demand and in a few years it will only get harder. So when setting up a tank it is best to look at the long-term health of the fish/coral not just short term. The hobby in New Zealand has only got better as more and more hobbyist is getting better quality equipment. The best advice is to get the best equipment from the start, you will only save money in the long term as you won’t have to upgrade.