FraserNZ Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Looks pretty cool, so how would one get ones hands on some? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodKing Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Looks very cool indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted February 22, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Looks pretty cool, so how would one get ones hands on some? I asked the guy I got mine off how to import it, but no reply yet. Maybe PM Bilbo, who said he can get it? (top of tis page) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted February 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 I dragged my old tank out of retirement to use as a test tank The Turface needed heaps of rinsing to remove dust. The waters still a little cloudy, mostly because I dumped some cannister water in to kick start the bio filter - it's just a little HOB unit. I'll feed it a bit of flake food for a week or two, then introduce a few fishies. I like the colour it's turned out After a few minutes, my old T8 light emitted a nasty series cracks and bangs. After changing my undies, I took it apart and found a blown component - anyone know what this is? Looks like a cap to me. I borrowed a LED panel off my big tank. I think I'll convert the old one to T5 HO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodKing Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Substrate looks fantastic! I've got a whole bunch of balasts I've been collecting for the last year or so, would love to see how you go about the conversion : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted February 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 I got some T5 end caps on EBay, and T5 ballasts from Ideal Electrical http://www.ebay.com/itm/Waterproof-T5HO-T5-BULB-BASE-SOCKET-DIY-PART-LIGHTING-/160744742209?pt=AU_Pet_Supplies&hash=item256d221d41 I used those to convert the T8s on my big tank last year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 I got some T5 end caps on EBay, and T5 ballasts from Ideal Electrical http://www.ebay.com/itm/Waterproof-T5HO-T5-BULB-BASE-SOCKET-DIY-PART-LIGHTING-/160744742209?pt=AU_Pet_Supplies&hash=item256d221d41 I used those to convert the T8s on my big tank last year What's left after replacing the endcaps, the ballasts and(Obviously) the tubes? A few wires? Like replacing the head and the shaft of an axe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 I dragged my old tank out of retirement This may seem a strange question but could you tell me what brand this old tank is? if you know? (looks familiar) BTW good work of the DIY fluorite. Good to see someone take initiative and try something new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted February 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 What's left after replacing the endcaps, the ballasts and(Obviously) the tubes? A few wires? Like replacing the head and the shaft of an axe. Umm, the integrated hood fittings on my tank? It's more like replacing the engine in a car. But thanks for the semantic nitpicking, that's always useful and appreciated :roll: edit: whoops - missed the simile in your post - it sounds different in my head now :oops: This may seem a strange question but could you tell me what brand this old tank is? if you know? (looks familiar) BTW good work of the DIY fluorite. Good to see someone take initiative and try something new. Cheers. No idea on the tank, sorry. There's no markings on it. I got it off a friend who was heading overseas a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted February 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 So far so good. The cloudiness has almost gone. The water does smell quite strongly of Turface - a sort of slightly minty clay smell. I'll do a water change in a few days and see how it goes. The high porosity and CEC rating seems to be doing it's thing. I had the nitrates up to 40 yesterday, and it's down to 10 today :bounce: I'll keep dosing it up to 40 each night and see just how much it can absorb. I usually keep my main tank at 20 to follow the EI method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodKing Posted February 27, 2012 Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Sounds promising. Wonder if carbon might take away some of the smell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted February 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2012 Not sure, I've never used carbon. I suspect it just some fines in suspension, as I don't think the clay can dissolve in water, so a few water changes should take care of it eventually :dunno: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted March 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 I dosed the ferts, reading nitrates at 60 two days ago, and it's down to 15 now. Ph is stable :thup: Turface smell is mostly gone. Water change tomorrow. Turface is lighter than the quartz I'm used to, and it's harder to anchor mini chain swords till they take root. Not difficult, just a bit harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodKing Posted March 1, 2012 Report Share Posted March 1, 2012 :spop: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted March 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 10 days in, one water change later, and the water's nice and clear and the turface smell is gone. The dwarf chain sword is taking off, and the amazon swords and hairgrass seem to be doing well. I put a few snails in as crash test dummies - no issues there. I'll introduce a few fishies in a week or so. It's still absorbing nitrates like crazy, and dropping from 40 to 10 ppm in a day. Hopefully it'll saturate soon :dunno: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted March 6, 2012 Report Share Posted March 6, 2012 Good stuff.. or should I say good turf :sml2: Interresting to follow :spop: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted March 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 Yay, it's finally saturated - I no longer have to dose ridiculous amounts of ferts daily :bounce: It's might be a bit early, but I'm gonna call this one a win. Anyhow, if you google, there's tons of people saying Turface is great stuff. I'm getting ready to tear down my 440 L tank and re-do it using Turface as substrate. I went wading for rocks today, and got a sweet feature rock, plus some other interestingly shaped ones. I went for rocks with a reddish colour so they go with the substrate. I've been soaking some tea tree branches for a couple of weeks, too. The plan is to bore some holes in the big bit of bogwood, and mount tea tree branches off it. I'm still deciding on whether to use the golden ratio or the law of thirds for the basic hardscape design - lots to think about! I'll measure up tomorrow, and do some mock-ups in SketchUp after importing pics of the rocks and wood and scaling them to match my tank dimensions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 Going to look Fab, loving your substrate too :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodKing Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 Nice one. That rock looks great. What style of tank are you going for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Li@m Posted March 12, 2012 Report Share Posted March 12, 2012 Sweet this it turning out great. I might have to try this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted March 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 Nice one. That rock looks great. What style of tank are you going for? Not too sure yet :dunno: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FraserNZ Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 So have you added any fish to the tank yet? I'm looking to setup another tank and tear down my current one over the next couple of weeks. I'm really keen to try some of this stuff out. Could someone please PM the contact details of the supper :happy2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted March 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Yep, just a few emerald eye rasbora, but they are happy. The tank seems settled now, it's got that cycled feel to it. Plants seem to love the substrate. My hairgrass is spreading along tiny runners now, and the dwarf chain sword is almost right the way across the tank. Swords have almost tripled in size I asked the guy I got my lot from how he imported it, but no reply. I've contacted the manufacturer in the U.S to ask how to get more. Only just started the email conversation with them, but I'll post here when I've got some news. Have you tried the guy in this thread who said he can get it? I dug up some tea tree roots a couple of weeks ago. I'm almost ready to tear down the tank :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted April 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 I've made contact with a NZ Turface supplier. I'm just waiting to hear back on price and availability. Meanwhile, I tore down the old tank today. What I thought would be a 2-3 hour job turned out to take all day :-? Temp tank for fishies The plants will be clean It's like chopping down trees - you don't realise how much there is until it's time to put it somewhere. And at last, a blank slate to work with. There's a bit of housekeeping to do on the tank, but I should start on the turface in a day or two :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted April 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 And he said, "Let there be light", and there was light. And he said unto the people, "Looks like you'll be showering for the rest of the week" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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