Reefkeeping South Africa » Marine Aquariums of South Africa

Marine Aquariums of South Africa

Live rock chewing gum or what?

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 12:51am CDT by Garethmur

Howzit again,
Please someone tell me what the heck this is, my live rock seems to be blowing jelly like bubbles?

flipc-Yank semi-newbie

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 11:11pm CDT by flipc

Been trying to keep a small (55ga) tank w/ a few fish and some coral. Been at it a few years, but much time on road made proper attention difficult. Retired now, recently back from an Australian vacation, snorkeled on Great Barrier Reef, and found out what it's really like. With rekindled enthusiasm, I have purchased a 29ga glass tank, got plexi baffles, skimmer,bio balls, hang on overflow box, return pump and misc plumbing parts. Have done some research on sump/refuge design, but am confused as to best configuration. I woul greatly appreciate any guidance as I stand, silicone at the ready.

Looking for some chemical compounds for the tank ??

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 11:02pm CDT by Singularity

I have used these guys a couple of times, last order was a couple of things from germany, expected arrival time was 4 weeks, but it arrived today only two weeks after order. You can find almost anything, also look through the lab equipment, might be some things that can come in handy with your tank :P

[www.bmscientific.co.za]
[www.bmscientific.co.za]

ATS setup

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 10:21pm CDT by llewellyn

Please help??
I'm not done with this setup. But before I go any furthur...Is it okay to have the mesh in this position?
:baffled:

Interested in Moon Jellyfish

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 9:39pm CDT by Daniel van Wyk

Hi
I am new to this. I am very interested in Moon jellyfish. I would like to know where i can get hold of these, thier accessories and the tanks.Can anyone assist?
Thanks
Daniel

pumps

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 9:39pm CDT by ian11

hi everyone.. any info on which pumps are readily available in RSA that can deliver large volumes (20 000l plus) but really cheap to run, trying to save on electricity:thumbup:. using .75kw spek pumps at the mo.

Gatvol with skimmers

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 9:38pm CDT by mariusmeyer

I am getting very gatvol with skimmers now. I exchanged my OCTX200 internal for a bubble blaster 2000 due to the sicce pump making a huge noise as the pinwheel mulches up the bubbles. Got the bubble blaster today as it is supposed to be super silent and hooked it all up, just to find a freaking humming sound that is lowder than say 3 air pumps running at the same time. The mulching of the bubbles are dead quiet but the humming is terrible. It is quite a bit louder than my cheap lifetech return pump that pumps more than twice the amount of water.

I can not take i anymore. You spend close to R5000 on a skimmer that is supposed to be quiet and then you get the humming? Am I missing something here or am I wanting unrealistically low noise levels from my equipment?

Is internal skimmers noisier than external ones? Cause I listened to the external bubble blaster at idol marine and I had to put my ear right next to the 7000LPH pump to hear if it was on. So why is my 2000LPH noisier?

Sorry for the rant but I'm running out of ideas here. Maybe I should just go skimmerless and build a mother of an algae scrubber.

Cycling

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 8:36pm CDT by brendanpre

Hi everyone

More newbie questions. What lifeforms on LR would typically survive cycling? I know there are a lot of variables like the quality of the LR, how much die off there is, how big the spikes are, etc. Also, should you still do water changes during cycling? What happens if you put more fresh LR in when the cycle has stopped? Do you get more die off and more cycling or does the bacteria in the system keep things stable(ish)? Would more life survive on the second round or not?

Water for marine tank

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 6:25pm CDT by Devank

Hi All, I was just wondering if buying a Ro filter for around R1500 (5 stage) and buying marine salt for around R700 per 20Kg is the correct thing to do. What brands are recommended? I made teh mistake of bring sea water from DBN only to find out from the pet store that this increases the nitrogen levels.

Thank you for your time.

pic of your favourite zoa in your own tank?

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 5:55pm CDT by mandarinman

i am in the process of gathering zoas for my new tank and i am really curious to see what is in south africa. my current favourites are...

Help needed!!

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 5:45pm CDT by b-rad

Hi guys
I just came home to find some crab in my tank that I have never seen before which must have been in some live rock of mine. But wait there is more, it was eating one of my goldies Holy shit, problem is as soon as I try catch this thing it goes under a rock. How do I catch this thing? its on the sand under a rock, please help me so I can catch this bastard and flush it where it belongs.
Many Thanks
Brad

Keeping Aquarium Glass Clean

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 4:27pm CDT by Trine

Over the past few days I have seen some beautiful reef tanks on this site and also on google images. I noticed that some of the tanks are immaculate. The glass is spotless whereas others have different types of growth on th glass and look dirty. Im new to this so Im wondering what is right. I kind of like the glass being clean, slightly obsessive some might say. What is best??

DIY fluidised reactor

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 3:48pm CDT by Tim S

Hi,
I'm looking at using a canister type container for a fluidised purigen filter. The type of canister you find on the RO units, but a see-through one so you can see the medium and the effect of the flow. Has anybody done this or have reports or pic's on how well it works?

Livestock wanted

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 2:33pm CDT by Tim S

Hi Frans,

I don't know how you select or order your stock, but here's my shopping list which I desperately want.

Yellow tang
Leather coral
Green Bubble tip nennie
A nice colourful blennie to churn over the substrate (not too big).

What can you get for me,

Tim

Got this today

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 2:21pm CDT by FransSny

Anyone want to come and look at WICKED pics, I got this today, amazing

http://www.amazon.com/Oceanic-Wilder.../dp/1552979997

Sand Stirrer

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 2:06pm CDT by scubaninja

Hi guys, i'm looking for ideas for a fish/invert that will stir up my sand. Hopefully something that does not eat pods, or is a ferocious pod hunter cause i'm trying to increase my pod population at the moment. The reason is i've now sorted out my flow in the tank just the way i want it. Detritus in suspension goes over the overflow, a the wavebox picks up detritus from the top of the sand bed. But nothing picks up whats in the sand itself, unless a fish swims past in a hurry and stirs it up.

So what will unearth the detritus from INSIDE the sand continuously so i do not have to rake it myself? I've heard of a burrowing star-fish? I'm not so sure of sand sifting gobies cause of their pod eating needs.. so ideas? Prefferably from your own experience?

Water clarity

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 1:52pm CDT by Tim S

Hi all,

What's the secret to crystal clear water. Looking through my dt end on, the water has a greenish / yellow colour to it. I have a big skimmer, 7 layers of filter wool and a vortch with sponge which collects a massive amunt of stuff. I do have a bit of slimy algae growing. Could this be the cause? I had some carbon in the sump but did not seem to make any diffirence.

Any advise please.

Converting Tropical to Marine & secondhand

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 1:48pm CDT by Trine

Hello everyone :wave2:

I have spent a few hours on this site and learning a great deal. Im at the confused stage as I have no real knowledge about Reef aquariums. Im sure I want one though. I have a 3ft (200L)tropical at the moment and I would love to set it up as a marine. My funds are tight so I was wondering if anyone thinks its worth buying secondhand stuff.

I want to start with fish only as this is leat expensive I belive????

What is ok secondhand and what is best to get new?

Can I use my fluval 205 canister filter for the marine setup?

The thought of having a marine in my lounge is very exciting:slayer:

New 5Ft

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 1:25pm CDT by PostersPlus

Hey guys
I just got a new 5ft tank and super excited.
I need help with setup please.
I will try upload pics for you tonight.
The tank dimensions are 1500 x 450 x 500mm the water level is at about 450mm.
I plan to make it a reef tank with fish, inverts and softies and much later when the tank is well established anemones.
Any ideas on what lighting a should use i am completely clueless when it comes to this.
Not sure what skimmer to run just yet but definatley want a reef octopus?
Also gonna run a DSB in the sump.
Any help will be much appreciated.

Squid vs. Sea Lion video

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 12:33pm CDT by Jaco Schoeman

Hi guys.

Came across this amazing first time ever footage of a sea lion vs. a squid...

http://video.nationalgeographic.com/...topus-vin.html

Enjoy!!! ;)

What easts brown algae?

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 11:42am CDT by Garethmur

Howzit, tanks been cycling for about 2 and a half months now, seen a lil itsy bitsy snail and an itsi bitsy (that thing with the flat shell you see on rocks) thingy... the feather worm i got from mark is thriving in the sump, and now there are like 5 of them... so something must be going right.... but i got a lot of brown algae growing in the sump and want to know, besides turning off the light in the sump, what lil creature can i get that will eat the arlgae? and be happy in the sump, and not eat the feather forms?

Canada super size Reef

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 11:13am CDT by Renannchen

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1811725
Hey been following this thread for a while now, very nice build!

150W MH Diffusers

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 10:58am CDT by Tim S

Hi,

I have 2 x 150w MH's in round diffusers. I looks like the round ones dont distribute the light evenly in the tank. Where can I get rectangular diffuers with no gear etc.in CT? Any suggestions on types?

Thanks,
Tim

Training fish caught in rockpools to eat prepared foods

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 10:53am CDT by danimal

Hi guys

Had a good weekend where I caught several really cool specimens. Among those are a doublesash butterfly and a semicircle angel (he might be a koran/old woman, not 100% sure). The semi is doing very well, I have noticed him taking a few nips at my pavona coral which had closed up. He doesn't seem interested in any of my softies (yet!)

How do I train him to not eat corals? Has anyone had any success in this area? He's a real beaut so I don't want to part with him if I can.

Second question is on the doublesash - he is very healthy and fat, but has anyone had any success with these? He sniffs at my homemade brew (bloodworms, krill, mysis, nori, garlic all blended together) but I haven't seen him take any.

Last question - there were a few stunning racoon butterflies that I didnt have time to pursue, would love to get one next weekend if I can. What are your experiences/opinions on these?

Thanks

Skimmer theory ?

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 10:12am CDT by Neil H

some generic questions for the Skimmer / skimmer DIY guru's

if one were to build a skimmer using the HX series (the new low wattage ones) of pumps would you feed the skimmer with a 3000Lph pump and use a 5000Lph pump to recirculate? or the other way around and how would this effect the skimmers performance / rating?

Why is it that larger skimmers tend to be short and fat as opposed to tall and thin? surely the more contact time a bubble has in a reaction chamber the better ? my gut says tall and thin is better but then why are the commercial skimmers short and fat ? is this a space saving thing only??

Starfish ID please

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 9:49am CDT by Jaco Schoeman

Hi gents and ladies

My dad got these two starfish from the Portugese Islands this morning. He placed them in his sump for the time being, as we need to establish what they are, and whether they are reef safe.

Can anyone ID please, and if possible, identify if reefsafe or not. Thank you in advance. ;)

1.

Fish from Idol

Posted: April 12th, 2010, 8:56am CDT by mariusmeyer

Hey Guys.

I vaguely remember something about Idol marine keeping their fish only tanks at a lower salinity, so how do you acclimate these fish? Do you keep them in a separate holding tank and slowly raise the salinity by 0.002 per day? I think the shops water is at 1.017 and my tank is sitting at 1.025

Please advise.

Reefkeeping South Africa » Marine Aquariums of South Africa » April 12, 2010

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