vic622

I'm in the process of setting up my first SW tank, a 45gal with a 29gal sump/refugium. The stocking plan, so far, is Bengaii cardinals (2,3 or 4), and a goby-shrimp pair after cycling. I'm also thinking of getting a detritivore kit http://www.inlandaquatics.com/prod/prod_detrit.html to kick-start the sand bed & red mangroves for the refugium. I'm think of a deep sand bed, 3"-4", and was wondering about the live rock. With a deep bed, how much live rock will I need and how much of it can I replace with tufa? Vic

I hear you! I've been doing DIY for 3yrs and the hassle factor is just not worth it anymore. I got the same tank, now, as you - I just need to get it filled and everything hooked up. I like this tank, even fits behind the seat in my pickup Right now it'll be on a 33gal and maybe on my 29gal running with a solenoid - so like you said it should last months instead of days or weeks compared to the DIY. vic

I am buying - a 15lb-er I think. Watching our welder at work trying to lift big tanks, I think it wouldn't be too much fun getting it up the stairs into the house - but I guess I could leave it outside & run lines to the tanks But seriously, if I can trust them to take care of my tank, I won't have too much problem with an exchange for a full one. It's just getting the first fill that I need. Vic

I was afraid of that. I wonder if Praxair or AirLiquide would fill it and bring it to their outlet in Cranbrook? Vic

I'm going to be in Calgary for one day picking up some things, including a CO2 setup (I'm finally taking the big leap), and the tank will need filling. They don't fill them in Cranbrook anymore (they ship them to Calgary for filling), so does anyone know who will fill it in Calgary? On a Saturday? Addresses & phone numbers would be a big help, too. I don't have a Calgary phonebook. Thanks, Vic

Just thought I'd finish this off with an update & observations ... The idea seemed good but the implementation not so good I used a small screw-lid bottle (about 100ml) and filled it about half-way with sand. I cut the inner portion of the lid out so that it looked like a mason jar lid without the glass. I then used a small threaded/barbed fitting for drip irrigation, cut a hole (~1/4") and threaded the fitting in along with a bit of silicone to seal it CO2-tight. I cut a piece of the membrane that was over-sized for the hole in the cap and very carefully installed this and the cap. Trial - 1 Even with the sand the contraption wanted to float as soon as the bottle filled with CO2 Trial - 2 Completely wet the sand and filled the bottle with water and retried - Success! :thumbs: Problems!!! No matter how careful I was installing the cap/membrane there always seemed to be at least 1-2 larger holes where the CO2 came out at a faster rate. This stream of bubbles (~1-2mm diameter) were obviously larger than desired. Conclusion I think the membrane was the culpret as the larger holes were often in the field of the membrane, not close to the edge/lid. I believe the quality of the membrane was not consistant and so there were thick and thin spots, throughout. If I could find a good section it would work as I observed micro-bubbles in other areas of the membrane once the bottle developed some pressure. The biggest problem with further experimenting was the time to change and reset the rig. If I was using a CO2 tank instead of DIY, it might have gone faster, though. Finally, I took the contraption out and used the barbed fitting to feed the CO2 into the bottom of my quick-filter on an Aqua Clear power head - Works great. Happy-planting, Vic

Sometimes i wonder if I know how to Google ... I looked up E. parvula & look what I got (kinda big for foreground, isn't it?) -roll- Vic Eucalyptus parvula

Update: Well I put together a unit using a small plastic juice bottle (for lunches), a threaded/barbed fitting and the center cut out of the lid (think of a Mason jar). I filled the bottle about 1/2 full of old ~4mm pebbles, attached the CO2 line and put the membrane material in place, held on by the lid. I'll need to add more pebbles, it wants to float. There is a small stream of bubbles <1mm of CO2 from one location on the membrane, leading me to think there is a very small pinhole at that location. I'll try a new piece on the next days off, and I'll post some pictures. It has promise, but I think it needs a bit more tinkering. Vic

Jason this is too bizarre ... In my Cherry Shrimp Ranch, also a 10gal, I am having exactly the opposite problem! My Java Moss is going gang busters, the Riccia is maintaining & the Glosso has died out The big difference is that I have a lush carpet of the small leaved Salvinia (from you) on the surface. I've got 2x13watt CF lighting, dosing Flourish daily & Excel every 2nd day. Maybe the Salvinia is taking enough of the potency out to not adversely affect the others & I think the Glosso is not doing well 'cause it's not getting enough light. Vic

I just came accross this on GE's website thought it might be of interest. Vic. What compact fluorescent light bulb do I buy to replace a 60-, 75-, 100- or 150-watt regular bulb? How are the watts calculated? While a regular (incandescent) light bulb uses heat to produce light, a fluorescent bulb creates light using an entirely different method that is far more energy-efficient — in fact, 4-6 times more efficient. ... here are the watts needed by regular incandescent bulbs and compact fluorescent bulbs to produce the same amount of light. · 60 watts incandescent = 15 watts compact fluorescent · 75 watts incandescent = 20 watts compact fluorescent · 100 incandescent = 26-29 watts compact fluorescent · 150 incandescent = 38-42 watts compact fluorescent · 250-300 incandescent = 55 watts compact fluorescent

For once I'm glad to live in the boonies In Cranbrook there is a everything-for-everybody indoor-outdoor plant & farm & pet (etc, etc, etc) store that carries it by the bag (10lb I think) for about $5 and they always have it in stock. If ever you need a bag or two, PM me and I'll bring it along on my next trip to Calgary (Usually about once a month). Vic

I was looking at the two AllGlass tops Zoban posted & thinking it would be nice to replace the (wood) stick props that hold the lid open with 1-2 small cylinders like the ones used for minivan hatches ... unless they're too stong & turn the lid into a catapult, of course Vic

Well I picked up some GoreTex from FabricLand, now I just need to rig up a bell-jar of some sort to see what happens. I keep y'all posted. Vic

Has anyone seen or used a membrane-type CO2 reactor? I saw this CO2 Double Membrane Reactor Aqualine Buschke on All-Aquatics website and it sounds like its just a strip of GoreTex between the CO2 inlet side & the tank water. There is a single-membrane style rated to 50gal and a double-membrane rated to 100gal. I wonder if this would diffuse the CO2 better than Japanese-style cintered glass cups? So I was wondering if a guy could take an old coat and do a DIY version ... ? Just a thought, Vic

Yeah you could, but I think with a 3.5hr drive (1-way) you might want to consider it as a day-trip