reef

This topic was started in another thread so best to continue here. it is a interesting subject. I have view which i will post when i get time. Do you eat fish noelj? Surely you would realize the number of fish caught for consumption (Including reef fish yes) is far is excess of those caught for the Aquarium trade. Many fish you see in Shops (Most clown fish, Banggai cardinals and Seahorses) are tank bred. As for corals, most corals in New Zealand's Reefkeepers tanks are not of Wild origin (well they were originally of course) but are from Aquaculture and frag trading amongst hobbyists. Bottom trawling and dynamiting have far more disastrous implications on fragile reef ecosystems than selective coral removal for the aquarium trade. Other factors which are having an effect on reef which are perhaps human related include the rising global sea temperature. Reefkeeping is often the scapegoat in the media due to the direct impact humans are having on the reef ecosystems. What I am saying however is that Indirect Human influences on coral reefs have much larger consequences than direct ones. Of course I am not saying that you can just get corals and fish and have no obligation to care for them and provide for their needs, of course you have to, but the damage Reefkeeping has on reef ecosystems is small (and reducing) in comparison to other human activities. (Even snorkeling has negative impacts on reefs)

For the price it is ok, Many reviews on them are not that good. How big is your tank?

They are budget skimmers, pretty average as you have to mod them to get them working better, Like anything you pay for what you get. If you get one make sure it is about twice the size recommended as they really overrate the skimmer capacity,

Its sold

Noramlly tanks many photo to get a good one. These did not take long. i only toke about 2-3 to get a good one. It helps if the fish are near the sand and not in full light. Its a Ctenochaetus striatus here is a juvinile pic of him when i got it

The red sea mas tanks are about $2000 with the starter pack etc. The skimmer is ok and depends what you have in the tank. rate the skimmer 5/10 but ok for soft corals.

They are nice anthias, The male is much better when they have their fins up, just cant get a photo as they are so quick.

It is a waste . however good practice as it keeps the test pure. I do it sometimes. also good idea to rinse all the water sample holders when test is completed.

Its a christmas island anthia. pseudanthias bartlettorum

Canon eos 30D I used a macro 100mm lens. Great camera, however takes lots of practice. Even with a great camera it is hard to get decent pics. the main issue is the lighting, the tank is so bright that it causes problems for the camera.

Managed to get some decent fish pics today. So hard to get, but these came out well. Last photo is my possum wrasse which i see only once a month, I thought he died last year but he still looks happy.

The Salifert coral food should not be green/yellow. It has not available anymore and has been over 3 years since it was imported to LFS. Other foods are now available such as , reef booster, reef roids which are more effective.

Why do you need a sump. get a hang on skimmer and keep it simple. No need for plumbing. The brown algae could be diatoms which can gets out of control if you use tap water. Always use filitered water from RO or DI unit.

Depends how big it is but i think it is a waste of time fixing a cracked tank, Takes time and you can stress the other parts of the tank when replacing the glass. Best just to get a new one as you will waste a lot of time and effort trying to fix it.

I would take the discus out and put them in a bare bottom tank for a 1-2 weeks. Treat them with metro/prazzi. turn temp up to about 32C By doing this you can deworm the fish and make sure that they are all eating well .

30ppm is not that high. I would not aim for 0ppm as your plants will not do well, Maybe get a RO unit which will remove everything from your tap water I had my nitrates and phostphates at 0ppm, tank looked very clean but the plants did not grow at all.

Some test kist are better than others http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/8/review Lucky the salifert did ok.

i found turning off your lights ofr a few days helps to reduce it, no big deal for plants with no light ofr a few days.

You dont need to fludised rowaphos, just more effective as you get better contact ,either way it works, The test kit you have is not sensitive enough, try a more sensitive po4 test kit.

Looks like carbon not po4 remover get some rowaphos What test kits are you using? that is too big a range. Dont worry just put him in the tank as you cant feed them. You need a ro unit, i tested the chch water and it tested very high. The readings was higher than my rain water. Kaltwasser will not do much for calcium. get some calcium from you LFS.

check these out. just out at the stores. http://www.hagen.com/uk/aquatic/addinfo/Fluval_brochure-07.pdf

The red sea set up would be the best way to start as you don’t have to do much and $2K is cheap. Just have to add rock and stock. If you get the reef bug then you can sell the red sea tank and go bigger and by this time you would have learnt a lot. The red sea units are nice and tidy and easy on the eye.

Very good point, Been telling Hobbyist that for years however its like talking to a brick wall and they have to find out the hard way.

Try Organisms in Christchurch as John can help you with the skimmers. Not as cheap as overseas however much better for warranty issues. The Deltec mce300 is ok, not the best deltec but will be ok for your tank. The budget Octopus skimmers might be ok but theyy dont skim that well and the hangon ones flood easy. If you have limit space then a hangon skimmer would be a good idea.

What a bugger. Anemoes are dumb. My nano and stream have done that to a number of anemoes.