bawater

Tanzy, u counting posts har???? u really really want to see a sea turtle level!! i think sea-cucumber good enough for me. BTW- u using somekind of software or voodoo magic to change ur signature almost daily? * just can't help reading it everytime!& its always diff!!

clowntrigger- err... i'm thinking those are green/brown button polyps(could be wrong) but pretty sure they not aiptasia(these look like mini long tentacle anemones-brownish red in colouration). polyps very common on LR. But i think those u may have have been in a stage of prolonged low light levels- they are shrinking.

i checked wif PUB, phosphates <0.1 in tap water (<0.23 in NewWater) its ok to get rid of this small amount using a RO/DI unit but the main factor is still in the fish foods-organic substances in the tank,its an ongoing process? only resins/removers can get rid of that- well! or least lower it to trace amount.

seldom go down to sealife- have to make a trip soonest.(i think only mon) thanks clowntrigg. BB-at reefworld- look under their clam tank. Its full of algae & look closely should be able to pick out any seahorse (these r the bigger ones they hold) ps how u get to sealife? phang told me bus 145 or somethin from lavender? i usually walk from lavender mrt(that's why i seldom go).Last trip i came from bugis to kelantan lane then on to sealife- by foot(a hot sat afternoon gone).

u mean the orcas? i paiseh to sell that-not worth anythin 2nd hand. pm u.

oh no AT!- they can suck a small feeder in........leaving no evidence. i got a giant one wif half a feeder in its mouth..by the time i ran for the camera it already swallowed the thing. smaller shrimps just get sucked in. been trying for a pic for days......................waiting...waiting....! BB- i asked reborn yesterday wat he fed his SH......He doesn't feed them- says seawater got food????(i dun disagree but not for more than a week unless u have an ocean),i was stumped - if anyone follows that kind of advice then good luck,the creatures doomed from the start. . but if u want to try then i suggest to get from reefworld-$3 for a mixture of species. since u go everywhere on regular basis-(me too): one fish i'm looking for (my ultimatefish). Its a harlequin tuskfish(small specimen 3"-4"). usually from phillipines & australia.(the aussie ones have a blueish tint at the tail). Has...vampireish teeth"hence the tusk".Teeth Bluish in colour. a hardy predator,eats frozen foods- non aggressive & can be keep in FO wif angels etc..It grows up to 30cm. i've seen it before but didn't have space-now i have but not spotted any recently. shouldn't be more $$ than a flame angel. It will live together with a lion in their own tnk.

dunno abt ur seahorse- mine eats 50% of wat it kills. i think they kill feeder shrimps for fun- also seen the same for live brine shrimps. i need to find a living vacumn cleaner! hermits tear at everything in sight- since stopped keeping them after feeding them to triggers.

i think there is a thread wif add.(i think in FOWLR)"shrimps & crabs"- do a search for the add. if u walk down from Paya lebar mrt- go to the malay village & cross road to onan road- walk down against traffic flow(its one way). second right lane. should pass lots of houses & a mosque. 15mins. front of the shop is FW & LH- just walk in towards the back. kwangs is strictly fish & shrimps only. no corals-(unless u count those dying ones that he seldom gets). pricing resonable.

wedgee, your're not alone- i'm in the midst of a battle(almost daily) water changes won't do much,apart from keeping ur water quality good. search & read tanzy's methods-in short: 1 day black out, then 4hrs light a day & raise by 1 hour each day till back to normal. & try to lower phosphates(i'm pretty much sure this the main fuel-& i'm guessing should be a combination of our tap water & fish food). Can't stop feeding & can't stop changing water(i wish!) But Keong seong@havelock has a phosphate remover-i think abt $18-$20(comes with 2 packs). i've yet to pay a visit to try this stuff. i'm into mine 3weeks already. phew! got rid of it on the substrate but now its on the back walls!!!!. hasn't affected any corals much but anemone won't go near the stuff & actually back away from any stuff growing near. One thing though- a small leather polyp has sprouted on the stuff?? on the rock the parent is on.

i think u should sell it AT. Even a token $100 can buy u more livestock/salt/LR for ur new tnk.

bio-sponge then wool(mech. filtration to trap debris) then bio-balls(also can go at the end),ceramic & coral chips(bio-filtration) & optional carbon(chemical fitration). & protein skimmer somewhere in there(removing dissolved organics). Just the basics of the media.- lots of other options u can play wif. adding macro-algae/mangroves in a refugium(if u have space)

i'll clear all them bioballs for u- would u take a jebo skimmer in exchange?- maybe u got use for it in the future? if i had transport i'll take the sump but ...as it is have to pass.(how big is it?)dimensions? curious u got pm.

well said AT, i think u should put it as an opening statement on the site's front page. well put. i've seen those net caught fishes.....roughly it would cost abt $150 for a yellow tang-lowest bargain. had to put down a few ppl before.......ppl who can't even keep bettas alive/ppl who think marine is just like LH keeping........that sorts. norvin...sad but true. can't really judge on cost of the fish cause there are places who mark up in hundreds percent- can try to ask for if its cynide caught.mostly all can't guarantee it- if in doubt, dun buy.

well, AT tried the nori.....soaked in water first & it dyed the water red. Anyways, seems my white spotted boxfish is the one taking to it(sucks the whole piece in)- while the tang just watches-maybe a nibble or 2......goondu! wonder what kind of fibre/nutrition it has- yet to see the poo. soaked too much so i ate the rest( kel -its very tasty in soup or instant noodles). @90 cents a pack very very affordable

jinners, 2 hours not a long time- give them a day to get used to the surroundings- trigger will take a few days to recognise that u & food have a link. cleaner's....well everyone has said it. They dun last, at first i thought it was me, tried 3 times & still couldn't live more than 5 mths. Totally striked off my list. Getting & Feeding live them daphnias not an easy job. AT...i think its kinda working cause dun really see cleaner's on a regular basis anymore(unlike pac marine punggol days)- now hardly ever see them. (they dun even last in LFS tanks)

no- i still reading, haven't reached reef stage yet, can't seem to stay away from fishes- still trying to balance between the 2. i find the fish catches the eye most & thus i fill the backdrop wif soft corals. just by personal pref.- although thinking of going pure FO.,but soft corals are pretty easy. Still can't make up mind. hmmmmm. well- here's one diff i found between a SW & FW. Which one do u feel is exciting to watch u need to ask ? planted is relaxing while SW-..........entertaining.

thks AT, didn't know could use the small strands without it floating everywhere-(usually only use the sheet stuff but are quite ex$). i think i got a twin yellie-but mine is yollie(dun tell its 3"+ reaching 4")...eating from the same magnet. hmmmm. Maybe same father diff mother. NTUC here i come!

i dunno abt using 55w for 36w ballast....i using 36w for 36w. BUt FL is directly related by Length to watts(bigger tubes higher watts) unless u asking about VHO(very high output) tubes- in which i have never used. but indirectly- it has been said that FL actinics 03 are much better than PL actinics- so u may want to think of using ur tubes- 2x PL10k + 1x FL actinic. but if ur happy now then no need. whatever u decide upon- just watch ur temp.

i also dunno- went there for a meal,father in law brought me. its around the first turn in to the tiong bahru market(but there are so many ways of going)- opp a bird holding shed(those they use on sundays to hang birds). have to go again to catch the road. dun worry if for makan they sure have ample supply+ the food is good & cheap.

dunno...just saw them in the tank staring back at me. Looked too handsome to eat leh! BB- i shall pop by reborn on the way home tonite- look see.(new stock usually come on wed & thu) dun think kwang got anythin new yet.

wait a min- there are soooo much diff...firstly saltwater is a much more unstable medium & parameters must be monitored - oxygen saturated,temp,calc,ph...etc..etc. then there is lighting........ then there are solving mysteries...why fish dying,missing,corals shrinking,dying. Trying to play god & recreate nature's elements. water movement........phew!. As AT noted...heavy metals build up in substrate..... if u only think of the basics e.g PH,ammoinia,nirites,nitrates then yes- but when u go deeper...its endless. i'm in the midst of a book i got from amazon.com its an academic textbook for public aquariums(to me it looks like PHD level),cost me a bomb on freight cause of its weight(i think book was only US$50 but shipping was SGD$100)- its called building ecosystems by H.adey (2nd edition) ...got charts on solar radiation,what kind of lighting is used by corals at what time of day(cloudy,afternoon sun,sunrise)- moon effects of tides...effects on corals...fraggin parameters..algae scrubbers. damn deep. haven't even got to seawater makeup yet. designs of huge inter-linked ecosystems & results of trials on 3ft/4ft systems- ( they even got pics of a 10yr old 2ft clam in a 4ft grown from 2")- i got indigestion,sometimes have to re-read chapters twice. All solutions & findings backed by intensive experimentive results. u can never stop learning...SW topic is so wide.

phang, tiong bahru- there is a seafood(makan) coffeeshop(they put the tables in between an alley). they selling live mantis by 100g(i think $17 per 100g)- huge fist sized things.(blue & greenish colourations) think would be much cheaper to buy these- also live octopus from bait shops $2. gotta keep a look out for other kinds of sources apart from LFS.- heh heh ! everytime go makan seafood chk their tanks........sometimes got bonus.

looking for a overflow- DIY kind would be fine.(if u have one collecting dust) just need to link up some tanks in the storeroom so doesn't matter if its ugly- as long as it works. Do let me know

wedgee, Zoanthids or buttom polyps will do fine under 2x PL 36w- as will mushrooms. Good intensity FL are good enough for mushrooms. Another one that is nice is star polyps- u can watch them spread almost daily. i count 1mm a day. One thing about them i found out is that they dun reproduce in high temp- (e.g 30c-32c). But below 30c & they start cloning. & as tanzy mentioned, u dun really have to chk abt elements- but i do dose very small amounts of strotium,iodine & calc(but cause i got bubble corals) i got some small Zoanthids(were half dead when i got them)which are increasing size under a direct 10k PL 36w(i think its about 8" below bulb) another one to look for is leather...these can tolerate really bad water conditions & with good lights they get huge.- they may not look appealing in the shops but when they are at their best u will be amazed. i shall try to attach a close up pic of a leather when i get home tonite. Tanzy, no worries if shrooms become trouble- i shall gladly help u clear excess-if u harvest. what about those giant size mushrooms- do they reproduce as fast? my mushrooms are spreading but get very scattered.& then it looks sparse..go all over the place.

heee heeehe- funny But its one way of seeding ur rocks. (soz but just had to) Barra-i think if 3% everyday ,should be done in 10days- just add crush coral sand (40%)+ coral chips (30%) and simen (30%) & u have life.