That comma makes a world of difference, but next time you're not lookingbut you have to admit, the avatar rocks
amazing the subtle changes to a meaning one can create using the queens best tongue
A summary of a beginnners sharp learning curve
- Thread starter crispin
- Start date
amazing the subtle changes to a meaning one can create using the queens best tongue
strange how few things change...weeman still stuffs with my avatar and sig and i still find odd pics to post
Mike
Retired Moderator
strange how few things change...weeman still stuffs with my avatar and sig and i still find odd pics to post
What can i say, it's harmless fun:razz:
abso-dam-lutley
and always gives a smile, people take themselves way to seriously too often.on a serious note though, ummmmmm when are u going to get a tank sorted??? this wet spot on couch stuff has gone on way too long!
Mike
Retired Moderator
abso-dam-lutley
on a serious note though, ummmmmm when are u going to get a tank sorted??? this wet spot on couch stuff has gone on way too long!
Nearly there, the bloke that gave me his system told me to just take it, when i asked him why he said i kept losing corals and could never understand why.
I have been fitting everything back together since the move and i now know why all his corals died - he was using wired safety glass in his sump and it was all rusty - rust is a serious killer of many corals in our tanks, so i cut all the panes out yesterday and am off down the glaziers tomorrow to get some baffles for the sump, once that is done and the plumbing finished (about three joints so not much to do) i'm cooking
(well water testing anyway)
interesting, i think its so often that guys miss the obvious yet small things when looking for big picture. Glad you niticed it. I have heard of a guy using a copper wound pump, that was leaking stuff into a major aquarium, and slowly over time killing off corrals.
But lank chuffed to hear you almost back in the game
But lank chuffed to hear you almost back in the game
Mike
Retired Moderator
interesting, i think its so often that guys miss the obvious yet small things when looking for big picture. Glad you niticed it. I have heard of a guy using a copper wound pump, that was leaking stuff into a major aquarium, and slowly over time killing off corrals.
But lank chuffed to hear you almost back in the game
Yep, just the dreaded live rock purchase and i'm away, i have 40kgs already, so i don't need much, possibly another 20kgs of the finest STM fijian ultra liverock
i want a decent pic of a regal tangPics of an empty tank? no, i'll wait till there is something in it i think, it'll be a nice surprise
...i a HUGE tank
OK so I’ve learnt a little, and slowly my reef is starting to take shape. A few things I see are still common (Mike changing sigs and avatars, me finding odd pics to post up) but as this tank is slowly growing out I was thinking of going over my ground work, see where my mistakes have been and what my successes have been.
I set up as big a system as I could with the best possible mechanical filtration I could buy. That gave me volume and it came me filtering power. Then I went to find LR.
The choice of tank you get, what suites your budget (haha, its all bloody expensive) and what suites your living conditions is key. So often we hear of guys with tanks and upgrading, changing, getting new ones etc with months of starting out. That costs. Its costs BIG. Both in dosh out your pocket but possibly more concerning in peoples enthusiasm for the hobby, especially newbie’s, and their better halves. So get the right tank to start, or as near to what you want and can afford. Was a 1.8m tank big enough for me. Absolutely, although I would like a few others to follow shortlyJ would I have enjoyed a nano, personally no. Have a vision, be it from a special aspect (yes guys actually build houses around their tanks!) or simply how much of your one bedroom flat you want to take up with a tank. But think about it.
When getting equipment you don’t always have to get the top of the range and new. SO often systems change, pumps become available, lights are upgraded, tanks sold off etc. It’s a great way to build up your hardware and go along nice and slow, especially if you are collecting while you are going through the magic of cycling a tank. And I mean that, I really found cycling my tank a magical fascinating and enjoyable thing. And I still look at the first zoanthids that popped out or the first hermits I placed in, and love the fact that they have been with me from the beginning. The equipment you collect will have use only in so much as you have the live stock that require it. Or put another way, the things you wish to keep will determine the equipment you want to use. So have a goal tank in mind and only buy equipment that’s going to compliment that. Ie skip the hectic automated chemical dosing stuff if you don’t do sps. If you do want sps, then they are a great ideaJ
I really believe in good filtration. It leads to stable water and as you will often hear, that’s the key to truly sustainable good quality tanks. Its all about water quality. So I get as good mechanical filtration as I can. That’s a simple thing to do, big skimmer, quality output, good flow and well positioned pumps etc. That really is the easiest of the filters to get right. But it’s the one you cannot (IMHO) afford to lean back on and think that’s all you need. If your mechanical filtration fails and you don’t have any other form of back up, your tanks in trouble.
Biological filtration on the other hand is something I love and believe its where the most thought with regards to keeping a tank should be put. That and compatible tank mates. There are so many ways to achieve top quality biological filtration and I am a firm believer that the better quality your LR is the better for your system. And I am not sure that you can ever have enough LR. But as the lungs of your tank, getting good quality, and as much as you can and keeping it that way is of prime importance. Then you get DSB, algae’s, even clams to a degree and so on. To my mind the bigger a dsb you can have (like 3 times the size of your displayJ) just makes good sense to me. I run two, one in tank and on in sump. Of the two its only the one in tank that’s really working well, but I will definitely pay far closer attention to my dsb in future tanks. Besides I love to see the life in the sand as critters do their thingJ I also really believe in biodiversity, both with regards to LR and to live sand. Getting a cup from a dsb and seeding yours every know and again is a great idea, as well as shifting LR around, replacing it occasionally. The greater biodiversity the better, as a simple rule of thumb.
I set up as big a system as I could with the best possible mechanical filtration I could buy. That gave me volume and it came me filtering power. Then I went to find LR.
The choice of tank you get, what suites your budget (haha, its all bloody expensive) and what suites your living conditions is key. So often we hear of guys with tanks and upgrading, changing, getting new ones etc with months of starting out. That costs. Its costs BIG. Both in dosh out your pocket but possibly more concerning in peoples enthusiasm for the hobby, especially newbie’s, and their better halves. So get the right tank to start, or as near to what you want and can afford. Was a 1.8m tank big enough for me. Absolutely, although I would like a few others to follow shortlyJ would I have enjoyed a nano, personally no. Have a vision, be it from a special aspect (yes guys actually build houses around their tanks!) or simply how much of your one bedroom flat you want to take up with a tank. But think about it.
When getting equipment you don’t always have to get the top of the range and new. SO often systems change, pumps become available, lights are upgraded, tanks sold off etc. It’s a great way to build up your hardware and go along nice and slow, especially if you are collecting while you are going through the magic of cycling a tank. And I mean that, I really found cycling my tank a magical fascinating and enjoyable thing. And I still look at the first zoanthids that popped out or the first hermits I placed in, and love the fact that they have been with me from the beginning. The equipment you collect will have use only in so much as you have the live stock that require it. Or put another way, the things you wish to keep will determine the equipment you want to use. So have a goal tank in mind and only buy equipment that’s going to compliment that. Ie skip the hectic automated chemical dosing stuff if you don’t do sps. If you do want sps, then they are a great ideaJ
I really believe in good filtration. It leads to stable water and as you will often hear, that’s the key to truly sustainable good quality tanks. Its all about water quality. So I get as good mechanical filtration as I can. That’s a simple thing to do, big skimmer, quality output, good flow and well positioned pumps etc. That really is the easiest of the filters to get right. But it’s the one you cannot (IMHO) afford to lean back on and think that’s all you need. If your mechanical filtration fails and you don’t have any other form of back up, your tanks in trouble.
Biological filtration on the other hand is something I love and believe its where the most thought with regards to keeping a tank should be put. That and compatible tank mates. There are so many ways to achieve top quality biological filtration and I am a firm believer that the better quality your LR is the better for your system. And I am not sure that you can ever have enough LR. But as the lungs of your tank, getting good quality, and as much as you can and keeping it that way is of prime importance. Then you get DSB, algae’s, even clams to a degree and so on. To my mind the bigger a dsb you can have (like 3 times the size of your displayJ) just makes good sense to me. I run two, one in tank and on in sump. Of the two its only the one in tank that’s really working well, but I will definitely pay far closer attention to my dsb in future tanks. Besides I love to see the life in the sand as critters do their thingJ I also really believe in biodiversity, both with regards to LR and to live sand. Getting a cup from a dsb and seeding yours every know and again is a great idea, as well as shifting LR around, replacing it occasionally. The greater biodiversity the better, as a simple rule of thumb.
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Mike
Retired Moderator
look what i found, the lesser spotted Crispy fish hunting;-
f....i need that delete button you mods have!
but atleast i am hunting with a cannon
but atleast i am hunting with a cannon
Mike
Retired Moderator
and of course Crispy and the ever lovely Seashell;
ok, you can stop now
Mike
Retired Moderator
strange the different interests mike and I have in subject matter to photograph, and skill with the camera....this is what I took pics of at seashells tank...mike ja wel no fine
and of course Crispy and the ever lovely Seashell;
mikey looking on
Mike
Retired Moderator
Very true, this is better;-
