Robbo Posted September 14, 2003 Report Share Posted September 14, 2003 Hello to everyone ! been surfing your website for a few days now and had better introduce myself. Hi, my name is Rob Ottow and I am from Paraparaumu. Compared to people here I am a beginner. Have had tropical tank(s) on and off for 20 or so years but only about a week ago learned about the Nitrification cycle so that will give you guys a clue as to my knowledge level. Willing to learn from you guys as you all seem so knowledgable and friendly. Anyway, I am 40 yrs old ( trapped in a 20yr old body) Living with my partner Natasha and 2 kids, Robbie (16) and Ani (10). I am self-employed at the mo servicing PCs, printers, vcrs, audio and anything else that can be carried into a workshop. I have been a tech for most of my life. I have always had smallish tanks with general communities, at the mo have a 100 L tank with Guppies, Neons, gouramis, Platys, Angels, Catfish and a Siamese Fighter(dark blue with red/purple fins). I also have a 40 L coldwater tank with comets and Shubunkins. My daughter has a 5 litre bowl with 1 Blackmoor. Future wishes include a tank with Discus fish and a Cichlid tank. Hope to learn lots from you guys and maybe join a club ? Bye for now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted September 14, 2003 Report Share Posted September 14, 2003 Hi there Rob (2) as we have one already. Glad you decided to show yourself and welcome to the Fishroom. Nice group of fish you have, and lots here keep the same types so there's heaps of info Sunday is a little quite, but the guys will be along shortly to get you welcomed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted September 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2003 Hi there Bill, thanks for your welcome note. been on your page a few times now, very impressive. Looking forward to talking to the rest of the team bye for now and thanks again Rob2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 14, 2003 Report Share Posted September 14, 2003 Hi Rob and welcome. The nearest club to you is Kapi-Mana and they are very active with several of their members belonging to this forum. You sound like us - my husband and I have been keeping fish for around 20 years and he is a computer tech too (also does radio link work for Telecom and Vodafone) and we have our own computer company working from home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted September 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2003 Hi Caryl, thanks for the welcome note. Yes sounds like we have similar interests. What sort of pc work do you do from home? Cheers Robbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suemack Posted September 14, 2003 Report Share Posted September 14, 2003 hi Rob2 greetings from another newcomer to the forum - - its a great place to come visit - unlike you I'm also new to computers - took me forever to realize that you didn't drag those little smilies from one place to another - thought there was something wrong with the computer (thankfully didn't ring the repairman :oops: ) talk to you later sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 14, 2003 Report Share Posted September 14, 2003 Rob we sell and repair computers (not Macs), printers, scanners etc. We also sell digital cameras and anything else that goes into, or attaches to, a computer. This also includes selling specialty papers, inks and all that other sort of stuff. Grant actually does the computing side while I do design and printing. I bought him an MX5 convertible and suggested he could buy me a colour laser in return, which he did. Now we are both happy and share our toys with each other. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted September 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2003 Hi Sue, thanks for the kind words. It is a great place this forum I agree, lots of knowledge and experience in one place! My fish will love each and everyone of you guys. Hi Caryl, I too service pc and printers etc. Do not sell digicams or ink. What brand of ink/cartridges do you sell or recommend? Cheers for now Robbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGilchrist Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 Hi Robbo Welcome to the fishroom. I am much the same as you, kept fish for years and years, knew nothing about cycling. came back to the habit about 2 years ago and started learning all this "new" stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 We recommend the right ink for your printer and do not like the cheap ones or refills. We sell all the common brands sold with printers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted September 15, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 Hi MGilchrist, thanks for the kind words. Yes glad to see I am not the only inexperienced person here. Have learned and hope to learn lots and lots from all you guys. Bye for now and talk to you soon. Hi Caryl, I agree although I have used an Inktec refill kit with lots of success in my HP 970 Cxi. I do prefer originals but money talks. Cannot afford to buy an original when you spend money on fish? Cheers Robbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 We have the HP970 cxi too. Having had to strip and clean too many printers after refill use we would not use anything but the real McCoy! You think the cartridges are expensive, try buying colour toners for a colour laser! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted September 15, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 I actually got this printer because it had ink right through it. I quoted the customer I think 2.5 Hrs labour but he refused and left it for parts. Took me 6.5 Hrs to completely strip and clean including the duplexer! Worth the effort, beaut printing! I hate to think what colour laser consumables are worth, what sort of cost per page do you get? Cheers for now Robbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat Posted September 15, 2003 Report Share Posted September 15, 2003 Welcome Robbo Hope you get as much out of this site as I have. Never too old to learn thankfully :lol: Do join a club. You get together with other 'fishy' people and can be a lot of fun and make great friends, along with learning more about a wonderful hobby. The bonus' you get from joining a club are also great as a lot of petshops etc give you discounts. Any saving in today's world is great! Pity you weren't closer as you could have joined the Palmerston North club but then again have always heard great stuff about the Kapi-Mana club. I myself would like to try again with Discus after having a bad run of it but the expense stops me. I will stick with breeding my Angels for now. Maybe when I have a sold hundred of them again I may get a Discus or two. :lol: Have fun here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Kapi-Mana seem to have a lot of non-fishy social outings too. I hear they have been 10 pin bowling and go-karting recently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted September 16, 2003 Report Share Posted September 16, 2003 Robbo you asked about cost per page. The HP gives around 11 - 12c per page of text only whereas the laser does it for 6c To buy the consumables though is expensive because they hold lots more ink. The imaging unit (which is 4 drums) has to be replaced every 30,000 sheets and costs around $600. The colours are $300 each and the black about $100. Costs vary a lot depending on whether it is text or photos of course. The major advantage is speed - especially in duplex mode. It does 16 pages per minute colour or black but in duplex mode it drops to about 5 (double sided). When we printed the last Aquarium World, it was one of several print jobs I was doing at the time and it cost us over $2,300 in consumables over a a week! That doesn't include the cost of the paper itself either and more costs since. It is ongoing but we love the printer. We make enough to just cover our costs and replace the consumables as required. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted September 17, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2003 Hi Caryl, cost per page is not too bad for a colour laser. Anyway, enough techo stuff. Maybe you can answer a fishy question for me or anyone else that may be reading this? My Ammonia level is 0 ppm :lol: My Nitrate/Nitrite levels are 0 ppm :lol: My PH goes from 7.0 to about 6.4 in a weeks time Any ideas as to why? Would love some help Cheers for now Robbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGilchrist Posted September 17, 2003 Report Share Posted September 17, 2003 What else is in the tank, some things such as peat substrate can lower the PH and rocks containing calcium can raise it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted September 17, 2003 Report Share Posted September 17, 2003 Robbo said... > My PH goes from 7.0 to about 6.4 in a weeks time > Any ideas as to why? Any ideas on the hardness? If the water is soft then it can br prone to swings in pH since there are few minerals to buffer it. Are you using rain water? Tanks generally tend to go acid anyway, over time, due to an increase in the organic matter dissolved in the water. A pH of 6.4 isn't too low for most community fish. Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted September 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 Hi MGilchrist and Andrew, thanks for the replies ! just done another water test, results : ph 6.6 ammonia 0 ppm nitrite 0 ppm gh 3 kh 1 have had a water softener in for 48 hrs as last week gh was 8 and kh was 2 I only have plants ( Vallisneria, Blue Hygro and Hair grass lookalike ) gravel and rocks. No peat. Using tapwater with water ager and cycle at each water change. I change between 20 and 30 % Is my kh too low? How do you increase kh ? thanks again, Robbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted September 20, 2003 Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 I think that's fairly soft. Why are you using a water softener if it's soft already? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted September 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 Hi Ira, used it because gh was 8 is 8 ok is it? cheers Robbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGilchrist Posted September 20, 2003 Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 Hi Robbo. Anything that adjusts the hardness of the water will almost definately affect the ph. Can you define your hardness levels, my test kit uses different units mg/l for kh, so i can't tell much from your readings. That said unless it is to one extreme or another a lot of hardier fish will manage. Bit of searching on the interweb thingy should tell you what your fish can live with. Or ask here, others here have much more knowledge than me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted September 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 Hi MGilchrist, a gh or kh of 1 equals 17.9 PPM = 17.9 mg/l ! My water has a : gh of 53.7 PPM or mg/l. kh of 17.9 PPM or mg/l. hope this helps ? thanks, Robbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGilchrist Posted September 20, 2003 Report Share Posted September 20, 2003 A kh of 1 is very low. kh or carbonate hardness is your ph buffer, the carbonate ions and other stuff that make up kh are alkaline and help to stabilise your ph. your old kh of 2 is acceptable if still a little low. your old gh of 8 is moderately hard but not exceptionally so. why did you modify the water, were you having problems with the fish or just trying to make better living conditions for them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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