Search results

Shorter wavelengths penetrate water more easily. That is why blue is preferred for LED moonlighting.

Looks like those already come with a remoteable ballast...

Assuming you're going to use a common or garden powerhead capable of pumping water up from the bucket to the tank, I'd just go with 25cm, or maybe 32cm PVC. I'd lay it out, and cut the PVC, but don't glue it... see if it works over the edge of the bath or something. Once you have the right...

I think I'd do everything I could, within my power, to ensure they stayed alive while I was away. After all, they are my responsibility. However, I would draw the line at endangering my or my wife's safety over them.

The little hole is drilled in the return pipe coming back from the pump, not in the siphon pipe. The idea is to prevent a siphon from forming if the power goes out and the water flow through the pump reverses. Even easier in this situation, rather than drilling a hole, is to have the outlet just...

Yes... you make a good point. But the biggest stress for the fish is when the light turns off suddenly. And a smallish (say, 20-odd watt) PC actinic will not produce the same luminous flux, even in the photosynthetic regions, as a halide. Not really even close. Of course, dimmable ballasts are...

The UV wavelength of most UV LEDs is not particularly harmful -- but it can still damage people's eyes. This is because they actually emit much more energy than they appear to (i.e., they look dim, but they're not), and hence your pupils may not contract sufficiently to protect the eye. As long...

I had similar issues with my site. I think it's due to encoding issues with the database, and the encoding in which web pages are served.. I had the same problem with a few of my posts when I used the quick edit function. This one is easy... right click --> encoding --> Western European (or...

I have worked here in China as an editor - and regularly proof-read and re-write articles for local business magazines. I've also been a crewmember on WetWebMedia for a while... and have a few articles up my sleeve for the coming year. If I can be of any help proofreading or advising on...

This is the real advantage of having an actinic bulb or two - simulating dawn and dusk. But to answer your question, yes, I woud stagger the photoperiods. It's still going to take a while for the fish to get used to the hsecond halide turning off at night, however. As for the heat, 300W of MH...

Just like all the best ideas -- simple but effective! Now you just need to find food that you can be sure never sinks!

Xenia doesn't really need feeding. Really -- don't encourage it. I worry that I'll wake up one day and find that the xenia has crawled out of the tank and taken over the world! :crazy: It grows even faster than the Green Star Polyps. At any rate, I wouldn't think brine shrimp would be the right...

Silicone wont hold acryllic or plastics at all well. You need to use an appropriate solvent if you want to silione an acryllic window to another plastic tube. As for the bridge idea, it is fun, but: - You really need two tanks. If the bridge returns to the same tank, it will just be full of...

Hi Wave Ace, They're the same. PL is used more in some countries than others. PL bulbs are simply power compact bulbs. J

You're right. I've disclaimeed responsibility lower down, but could add a bit more on specifics and the possible pitfalls at each point. However, for anyone who has wired up a fluorescent fixture before, this should be a breeze.

On the contrary, the efficacy of metal halide bulbs is at least equivalent to that of fluorescent tubes - that means they produce the same or more lumens of light per watt of input power (and waste the remainder as heat). If the ballast is remote mounted, as suggested above, and there is good...

You're absolutely right... I did mean mercury vapour though. Not HPS. Thanks for pointing out the mistake. I'll update the article with your change. Changes or additions from anyone else would be much appreciated! Including sprucing up the weak jokes...! Mercury vapur bulbs (and ballasts) came...

I have both reef, FOWLR and FW planted.... and have had a brackish tank. In my opinion, the saltwater side of the hobby has so many more possibilities -- new avenues to explore in livestock, set-up, equipment, methods. There's always something I can do or build for my tank that will make it...

Thanks! :hyper: There's actually four kinds of macro -- but it all just grew out naturally, which is why it is such a jumbled mess. I'd love to be able to move the live rock somewhere and concentrate more an the aesthetics.... but I haven't really got an aesthetic bone in my body when it comes...

Hey... you can add me to the marine GSP list. I've got 3 in full marine (and I'm crazy about them...). I've found that they are very versatile, and can indeed undergo changes in salinity of .05 or so over a couple of hours of drip acclimation. As was alluded to above, it is the biological...

Hi Sir Minion.. I remember you from TPF... How is Martha getting on? I have an illustrated menu of GSP food: shells -- cockles, mussels: Their favourite.... whole shrimp: Before: During: After:

Crisp white light like no other, bringing out colours and making everything look sharp. Bright light punched down through the water to the plants or corals that need it most. Breathtaking, shimmery lines glimmering over the substrate. Ahhhhh, the serenity. Cripes! What's that? A £400 price...

I've had excellent luck with NEC tri-phosphor daylight T8 bulbs. I use 3 of the 15W variety over a 15g-ish tank, in a DIY wooden hood. The plants go insane. Steer clear of "full spectrum" bulbs - they waste a lot of useable energy by trying to create a broad spectrum, rather than employing...

Cool idea, but hellish hard with the presure differential. I don't see how it could work... As for the canister, I would run it empty. The goal for many reef systems is to remove suspended junk before it has the chance to break down. That's why we invest so much in skimmers. By jamming the...

Agreed. If the goal is to create a Berlin-system tank -- i.e. one that is reliant on live rock and nutrient export, then biological or mechanical media such as ceramic rings have no place in the system. A predator tank is a different... um... kettle of fish altogether. Not just talking from...

I agree. The creamic rings, when acting as a bio-filter, only provide aerobic filtration: they convert ammonia to nitrite to nitrate. Live rock can perform both aerobic and anaerobic filtration: It can do what ceramic rings can, plus it can convert nitrate to nitrite to free nitrogen. With a...

You might need to review your stocking choices. While some people have been able to get away with different species of clownfish in one tank, it is not recommended. They will most likely fight. Secondly, a flame hawkfish will not co-exist with shrimp. Not unless you intent the shrimp to be its...

Feather dusters commonly lose their crown when they are not fed sufficiently. THey need a lot of phytoplankton to survive. When they are not getting enough energy (from food), they shed their crown, and replace it with a smaller one that will require less energy to maintain. However, the...

I think it is a wonderful idea. In fact, even putting a single fish in a large tank is already increasing the bio-load way beyond what is natural for an eco-system in the wold. My tank can't compare with that Japanese tank... the choice of macroalggae and sea plants is very limited here. But...

Hi mate, I'm afraid to say that your tank is already "full up". I wouldn't add anything else in there. In fact, my first priority would be to remove that kole tang to a tank 2 - 3 times in size. They get big.

I agree that your corals will likely be fine, provided there is plenty of circulation. Definitely also agree with the suggestions that you sort the problem out. Are these fluorescents or halides? Also, do you by any chance have an arc-detecting circuit breaker on the electrical circuit? These...

I put frags of shrooms, xenia and other hardy corals that have overgrown my nano and would otherwise be thrown away, in with my GSPs. They appear to be OK -- they can survive the occasional nip. That said, I wouldn't recommend it - and it would be irresponsible IMO to put anything wild-caught in...

You really need to be testing for those nitrogen wastes (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate). It's all just guesswork without that information. Having those kits on hand is a life saver when things go pear-shaped like this. However, as you said things worsened with a water change, I am wondering if...

Depending on where you live, how about a massive long extension cord from the neighbours' house? Failing that, swishng the water around regularly with a big stick -- or scooping water out and pouring it back in from a height every 15 mins or so should help. If you don't feed the fish...

I just thought I would throw in my 10p worth. Sukie was spot on when she said that it is dependant on what you want to keep in the tank. Anemones and leathers have very different requirements. You might be best off researching them and deciding which you would prefer, and provide the...