bawater

i'm in

ok, i try- haven't been there so dun mind a recce. but only reach abt 7pm. see how

soz, was thinkin which one to put in... couldn't figure. yep- was the timer cause i was downloading from net so was watchin tnk. saw the pop & flash from the plug. i'm now back to manual on/off while looking for new one.

would like to know- for those who use timers. what kind of timers do u use? what kind of duration is your lighting on. I use the theben analog timer, it ran for 6wks then 2 days ago blew my extension(when it switched off)& wall socket which tripped the external HDB safety box as well as the in-house switch box. Had to break the lock to switch on again. (took me 6hrs to troubleshoot)A bit weary on re-hooking up another set. Now the wall socket can't be used- & i have extension wires running all ard my room for my power needs.

bluebeard- after looking at the map- i can walk from paya lebar mrt? abt 500m or so right-after lion city hotel? i think can walk i go tonite have a look. or u take straight bus from tamp?

i'm happy cause they were free & now they're growing. always wanted a clown/anemone pair. My tomato wouldn't take to it. Q- nope, that's a frogspawn behind it. but has since got off its skeleton & crawled into rockwork. ach- try pac marine, these should have been abt $5 each cause they're small- they guy i took from had everything from pac marine- LR,tnk,skimmer,livestock,MH lights etc.

clowntrigger, that's the same specs i looking at for an upgrade in a few mths...what thet cost brand new? Pac marine was selling their display set $1200 incl PL lights,sump(wif old media) & skimmer. exact same specs(think cupboard darker wood)

Qixian- i got 2 rose bulbs,1 purple tip(in hiding)& 1 small sand anemone. this is one of the rose- increased abt 1/4 of its size already, on regular feedings every 3-4days. The other i feed every 7days.Not much increase-maybe 5% only. But i use FL so got to supplement. just got 6x 36w PL- should fit them on by this week.

Malaysia dive season over- only Tioman is good in OCt cause all the big fishes come in for shelter from the elements of the open seas- Mantas,whale sharks & big sharks- there will be 2 resident 7foot sharks at coral island ard now . Aur becomes a vacant ocean during this season+ it rains a lot so bad visibility.

i dun think its spirulina- it wipes out my brineshrimp- but ok for rotifiers. this i guess that the strain of algae is too small for bs but right for rotifiers. i looking for spirulina powder(there are live cells in there) from health shops- but all got additives & flavourings. i'm using that stuff from reefworld too- left a bit. james, this kind of specialized formulas u gotta try mail order-

mariner- u put $ next to them can pls? i scratch head wat to offer. also on ur F.Bed- thks

coelacanth, ya i end up with the killer- mind u, it did help thin out unwanted fishes(abt 7 damsels)- & 1 big squirrel(almost 13cm) by my mistake. but its beauty make up for it. finally cleared all the predators(squirrel-'which ate my cleaner after being cleaned for 12mths', 2x triggers, 1x huge fat damsel into a holding tnk) from my 4ft & now beg. to restock with shrimp again. current shrimp: 1x CBS,1x cleaner Akan datang- 4x candy,another 2x cleaner & abt 10 seahorses gradually. i feed any crabs or pistol shr i find to the triggers(who also ate 4 chromis & 1 dottyback:"suppose to be reef safe"-which ate all my previous 3 candy shrimp-which ate my 2 purple slugs)?first time i see real life food chain. still got one cracking pistol every nite-2yrs cannot catch.

thks hong, forgot to add. abt 10k & below. actually 10k also need. bubbles seem to do fine with my FL- but i feed them regular wif pieces of prawns- every2-3days, when i feed anemones. i just use liquid calcium supp. blue- got to chk whether the tube is a moon or reaL acitinic, the blue moon tubes are mainly used just for viewing.

yes derf, no problems in just swopping tubes. but cause u using a hood- just make sure u get back the same size & yeh, watts. u could just bring along one of your current tube just in case. How big the tank? Most probably u go for 1 white & 1x acitinic. depending on your watts(important to know light tube length in inches)- if u go to keong seong@havelock they have a list of prices & brands at the pillar just inside the entrance(next to the counter). they even have 20,000k Sun tubes- wat u heard: retrofit means customising ur hood-be it to accomodate more FL tubes or to use PL & increasing watts per gallon for the benefit & health of corals. i need to buy another tube within the next few days(went aquamart but very ex$)- if u give me ur size i can chk the price list for u@ keong seong.

i use a 2235 for a 4ft, filled wif 3 baskets ceramic & 1 biofoam.Purely biological (tnk filtered by 2235,a boyu internal-for mechanical/polish & a skimmer-which produces foam once a week) Only service every 3mths-rinse biofoam & ceramic in old water. intake pipe is covered with sponge for prefiltering(will try an additional add on connectionwif an old un-used orca skimmer when time permits,intend to fill orca with floss & carbon). canister on 24/7. water change- 8gal every 2mths. Phang- if u use carbon u have a time frame to keep track of(usually 2-3weeks is safe)before u remove it otherwise it leeches back everything it absorbs. Achilles- it takes abt 1-2hrs for bacteria to die(my safety margin is 1hr) from lack of oxygen(so if power cut more than that-might as well wash all filters) ,i agree abt the backwash of algae so gotta catch it/strain it. just slip on a sponge on the intake saves trouble of on/off. sponge dirty,just wash under tap. if there is a high nitrate level(chk the others & if nil)- means ur filtration process is working fine- nitrates are the end product & u have to find another way to deal with this(i just planted 3 mangroves seedlings to try-collected new pods & they rooted in 2 weeks) but i also use macro-algae which grows & is trimmed in-tank by a yellow tang. I've read abt mud filtration giving optimum results. u just got to finish the cycle. derf- a little 10%-15% water change won't hurt to help lower your current levels.

good luck loonz, me too adv. diver- tioman wasn't as good as it was 5yrs ago, most of the reefs dying already, u better hurry. when u go for a leisure dive(at the end), bring along some bananas or dried sotong or bread- stuff them into ur BC pocket & when u hit bottom enjoy yourself hand feeding. i just swim along & all the parrot wrasses will follow once they smell it. u got to clear ur livestock first- then tackle the equip & then tank.(u need the equip to keep everythin alive till they gone) if u wanna keep ur fishes then setup a holding tnk-2ft will do for temp. put up some prices for the live things-& see how fast they go (depends on price of course)

if they use a centralised filtration system then they can put that kind of numbers in. Rainbow?? Only $$ matters at rainbow- nothin else. Haven't stepped in for over 2yrs oredi. u try to buy that kind of quality & u most probably end up wif a dead fish within 30 days.

i use them S-10 for tubes 15w,20w& 40w- ok for FL leh & run at least a yr. i get those 22x kinds too when i get a new set- burn out fast though. Even melted one...hee hee maybe u wanna try those blueish ones from LFS(they the same 65w but by phillips), i'm using 2 but i see no diff. derf, dun get what u mean? are u using the standard black covers now wif a single FL tube? & u just want to change the FL tube or change to accomodate more tubes? FYI- there'e a new elec starter just out in the hobby in europe,abt $300 for each. They can be programmed to come on or off over a duration of up to 30mins. act like Dimmers for FL

loonz, if u sell off the livestock first then u can break down system into items which is easier to distribute. or setup a small holding tank just for livestock until new one is ready.

chanbi, take a look at ach pics, at the end when they hatch u just need to leave them to settle 20mins then the bbs will concerntrate below the surface. either suck them up with airline tubing(i use it like a syphon) or somethin else,u should be able to remove most of the water in between the floating egg shells & those settled at the bottom- u still get eggs but not much. the shells of BBS are not digestable,a little is ok but if u keep pouring eggs into ur tank then u creati(there is another kind LFS dun sell which do not hatch & fed straight to fishes)ng another problem to solve later on. thanks ach, i did use small tnks before & thus pollution problem-so i try 2ft now. Problem is, i have no use for nauplii now. Got eggs,got empty tnks,got some frozen phyto so a bit itchy & had to find a problem to solve- i know the phyto is real stuff cause had a batch of marine rotifiers bloom on it for months before they crashed cause i didn't thin them out.

apart from hatching, is anyone trying to grow adult bs? apart from me? still having problems in finding the correct food stuff & my frozen phytoplankton supply running low- thinking of ordering sprulina powder from brineshrimp direct (US) abt US$10 a 16oz pack(HUFA just too ex$). can't find pure powder or juice here- tried GNC but all got flavourings. currently using a mixture of frozen phyto,tetra liquid fry no.1,Marine liquidfry(pea flower & egg protein) & a little yeast(cause this the only thing i had growth results with before although it provides no nutrition) all bubbling in a 2ft. open airline. still getting major die offs for growing adults but bbs up to 7days old got plenty(instar I & II). In commercial production they use chicken manure but that's out of the equation for my home use!!!. i'm just looking to acheive a continuous culture. ? any comments?

bluebeard, if i'm not wrong, the tank is still cycling & its a diatom bloom(mostly happens during the first few months) (they look in the range from dark red to brown) just like the blue-green algae in freshwater aquariums. a full safe cycle will be ard 3mths until everything established.Its takes much longer than freshwater. only after 6mths did mine stop. pointing a powerhead towards the algae bloom will help to reduce it over time. the actinic part is really needed if u do not use metal H. lighting(if using FL it sort of becomes compulsory)-should be the same for PL. u will be surprised how much of this light help corals grow. But stick to hardy ones like button & star polyps,mushrooms,bubbles,leathers etc.(these inveterbrates also allow u to mix wif more fishes & shrimps) stay clear of clams & stony corals unless u ensure calcium & very high amt of light.

i do the same, but instead of garlic(i tried & they didn't eat anythin soaked in it) i increase feedings- 2 heavy feedings rotating foods, dry tetra marine pellets,veg flakes, small prawns roughly minced,frozen bloodworms,frozen brineshrimp,live brineshrimp- sometimes some frozen mysis shrimp & only recently a sprinkle of tetra bits-nothin more than is gobbled up. Takes a little longer to cure(abt 7-10 days). usually only my tangs & tomato clown gets it but i feed whole tnk. i keep salinity levels@1.020/1.021. Invertebrates seem fine abt it(mushrooms,leathers,bubble,anemones& button polyps)

bbeard, get a pack of live adult brineshrimp from K&K $3- try to go before 7pm.(only place i know in Tampines got them,unless u see somewhere else,let me know) & its not avail everyday. Dun need to feed everyday ,a pack of live every 3-4 days enough for ur whole tank of fishes(also stock up on frozen for daily use)apart from ur other foods.