View Full Version : Greetings Fish gurus and fellow newbies
Ferryman
04-08-2009, 16:48
Hello, i'm Will, new here
I recieved a tank from a bud of mine this past weekend. he is a marine tank enthusiast, and this specific tank was supposed to be a filter system or somesuch for the marine tank... now its mine... i once had a tropical aquarium long long ago... and thought with some luck, money and the right advice i could make a new, better tank, with something to look at in my dull apartment. The tank is 90cm in length, 50cm in width and 45 cm in height... id say the effective volume of it would be around 180-190 liters.. now whats odd, is inside the tank is a divider, but it doesnt come up the full length of the tank, its placed 39cm from a side, and has a height of 35 cm... it an odd placement, supposedly meant for the filtertank it was supposed to become... now, ....... who has a creative idea of what i should do with this tank, as i have no idea.. i dont currently have lights, a canopy, air or water pump... nothing really...
pics will follow... just need to get past the post minimum
almost there... sorry
Welcome Home Ferryman - What you have there is a sump (refugium). Is the divider siliconed in place ??? If so slip a stanley knife blade into the glue space and cut it out.
If you want to keep it there, why not create two different aquascapes in each portion ?
Ferryman
04-08-2009, 16:57
yes, its siliconed in. i knew it was something to do with stuff you hide in the stand area , lol, now there i have it, a sump... it'd be interesting to have different scapes.. he suggested i make the one half for adults, and the other for the little squirts, or maybe a fighter fish, but thats the odd thing, seeing as the divider doesnt go all the way up.. if i stanley knife it out, how will i get rid of the silicone residue? i tried rebuilding an old tank once, never got all the reside off the plates?
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/Bufamotis/Photo013.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/Bufamotis/Photo014.jpg
Welcom to TASA... you WILL become addicted
Ferryman
04-08-2009, 17:52
lol, i certainly hope not :)... i'm already addicted to bonsai growing and tending. Little trees ALL OVER THE PLACE. sigh, here we go again
ohoh... better warn your other half...
Welcome to TASA :D
If you'd like to keep the two sides separate you could always add a piece of glass to the existing divider - silicone it together and make it higher.
Oops - almost forgot though - if you have the sides separated like that you will not have water flow on the one side nor will your heater work on the side without the heater....better to remove the smaller piece of glass and keep it as one larger tank rather than a sub-divided tank.
Hey, welcome Ferryman!!! Just an observation but looking at the overall height of that divider I would take it out otherwise you would have very little height for volume in that tank. Removing the silicone residue is a bit of work but possible - get a new stanley blade and keep at it.
Yea to get rid of the Silicone is elbow grease and more elbow grease
I know this is off topic but it is about silicon. when you have laid a beed of silicon to the two faces of the glass make mixture of sunlight dishwashing liquid and water and dip you finger and then smooth out the silicon. It won’t stick to your finger and it will leave be easer to make a clean lip if that’s what it is called.
Ferryman
04-08-2009, 19:40
@zoom - luckily no other half yet to scorn me, :)
still single, 23yo, law student. finishing up this year though...
@Zafgak - i noticed that last time i tried to dismantle and reassemble my dad's really old 60l tank... its still only plates with traces of silicone on it.. i use them to grow and warm seed trays for bonsai now, hehe. recycling.
@veegal - yeah, that too was a concern i noticed, it'd need two circulation pumps and heaters or alot of pipework to keep both sides equally warmed and circulated, wouldnt it... hmmm.. sigh. all roads lead to scraping the divider out...
if i dont get the residue off nicely, it's always gonna bug me, i'll see what i can do. another thing.. i have a desk-extension that is a metal frame with strong, sturdy top.. its long enough, but its lacking 10 cm in width to completely support that tank base.. would placing a wood board on it, and a full tank on the wood board cover the needed support? or will i need a cabinet thats made to fit the whole base?
Welcome , you can buy silicon stripper now at most builders and as for taking the pannel out i found a stanley blade chips the glass , i use fishing line , it breaks before the glass chips and it doesnt scratch the glass , i havent had a problems with it and i tried alot of different ways. I you put a board on the table it will be fine you wont need another cabnet made
Ferryman
04-08-2009, 19:49
how do you use fishing line?
first i use a thinner line and cut a piece about 400mm long and loop one side around one hand and the other side around the other hand , put the line inbetween the 2 pieces of glass and make a sawing motion with your hands , once u got the first few cm done u can change to a thicker line so that it doesnt break easily. you just us the thineer line to make a gap for the thicker line. dont know if i explained myself properly :p
Ferryman
04-08-2009, 20:08
I'm imagining a motion not unlike flossing? thanks... that is a handy tip as i also found the blade i used to dissect that old tank did chip a little... and it was a fresh scalpel no less... i'll try the fishing line..
Now where do i get my hands on silicone stripper, never heard of it? will it leave chemicals behind that need heavy washing or is it safe in a tank?
first i use a thinner line and cut a piece about 400mm long and loop one side around one hand and the other side around the other hand , put the line inbetween the 2 pieces of glass and make a sawing motion with your hands , once u got the first few cm done u can change to a thicker line so that it doesnt break easily. you just us the thineer line to make a gap for the thicker line. dont know if i explained myself properly :p
yea thats a perfect analogy its exacly like flossing your teeth :p . you can get the silicon stripper from most builders express or warehouse. You will have to give the tank a good wash with warm soapy water and then a good rince after but still easier that getting the silicon off with elbow grease :)
Ferryman - check the glass thickness - that divider might also have been a support for "cheap" glass --- i.e. thinner than what is safe.
for a 90x50x45 you are looking for at least a 6mm glass thickness ... Bit I would still want a brace with that since that only gives you a safety factor of 2.5.
Ferryman - check the glass thickness - that divider might also have been a support for "cheap" glass --- i.e. thinner than what is safe.
for a 90x50x45 you are looking for at least a 6mm glass thickness ... Bit I would still want a brace with that since that only gives you a safety factor of 2.5.
He makes a very good point there i see no other bracing in that tank or though it is a very strange bracing :p I would still take it out and put your regular bracing in
theosmit
04-08-2009, 20:45
Welcome and enjoy!
Hello and welcome to TASA
Another option instead of fishing line is to use an old tape measure. They are bloody thin and cut as well as a knife --- ask my hand ---- :)
angelfish
05-08-2009, 09:07
helo welkom by die forum
hi welcome to the forum
LiftCrazy*
05-08-2009, 09:12
Welcome Ferryman!
Ferryman
05-08-2009, 09:19
thanks for all the Welcomes. . ₯ ₯Im gonna drop by blitz this afternoon, see if they have silicone stripper. Then. . I need to find some fishingline. I was thinking, i should cut away the worst of the stuff, and floss out what remains. Then test out the stripper. . . I can probably use the divider to cut out the cross bracing. . Do i need bracing down the length too?
yea thats more important than the cross bracing , it stops the tank bulging and cracking and adds alot of strenth
Ferryman
05-08-2009, 14:19
+1 and Kudos @ Reafer. the fishing line worked a charm.. i only had thin fish-line, so i worked with that up till 5cm from the bottom, then the little pieces of "silicone-saw-dust" debris got stuck between the gap, clamping down my line so it kept snapping. then i got some telkom-wire, very thin stuff, and tried "sawing" further with that,,, it snapped too. so then i got thinking, i was exerting too much pressure on the thin line, thought maybe if i use something thin but broad, it wouldn't snap.. paper didnt work... and i wasnt getting any further... then i cut a transparency sheet along the length and TADA, it worked beautifully. when i got to the bottom, the transparency curved under the divider so from there i cut away the bottom silicone easily. the other side of the divider was stuck on so tightly, there wasn't a gap to work through, so i slowly pulled the divider to one side and cut away the stretched silicone with a knife. took care of the residue with a stanley knife blade and thinners for the remaining film... the divider is completely removed now.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/Bufamotis/Photo017.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/Bufamotis/Photo018.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/Bufamotis/Photo019.jpg
so i read last night that on a 90cm tank, i should have a 80cm x 5cm brace glued perpendicular to the two sides, about 3cm from the top?
And all of this was done in the kitchen...... Does your wife know about it???? LOL
Ferryman
05-08-2009, 15:33
lol, there is no wife, so i'm safe. Plus, its a guy-apartment... ANY open space is a good space to start working on..
about the bracing i mentioned above, "..on a 90cm tank...should have a 80cm x 5cm brace glued perpendicular to the two sides...3cm from the top?" does it really have to be that long? i can surely go buy two long strips of glass somewhere, but seeing as i currently have a 35x50 square of 6mm glass, i wondered if it could serve some purpose?
butcherman
05-08-2009, 15:52
I belive the stripes of glass should run along the front and back of the tank to stop the sides from bowing outwards from the water pressure also if you add a thinner strip ontop of these 2 strips the you can put sliders on top of the tank to help with evaporation.
additionally i think you can also add another brace from the front to the back of the tank for extra strength.
the hight of where you put the braces will also determine the maximum hieght of water in your tank.
on my tank the braces are level with the top of the tank. ill post a pic later of what it looks like but there is a diagram of what im talking about.
Ferryman
05-08-2009, 16:52
ah...i had something like that on an old tank of mine
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/Bufamotis/Photo020.jpg
this tank was quite small, the glass cutter did the bracing for my dad long ago... now the tank is just lying around, last thing i used it for was a greenhouse for maples..
this is the brace i had on MY old tank, the one i dismantled, the bracing looked exactly like your sketch... http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/Bufamotis/Photo021.jpg
does the brace glass have to run the full length? or like i posted earlier, only 80 cm? (got that off this site http://www.austinglass.com.au/aquariums.html)
i used to have glass plates that lay on the bracing to stop evaporation too
Just use the glass you have - a 90cm is not big enough to haveto worry too much about the specs on bracing.. My 90 has no top bracing at all.....
yea as long as the tank glass is damaged or isnt to thin you wont need to much bracing, if you are worried you can go to a glass place and ask for a offcut i am sure you wouldnt even have to pay for it , there isnt much a glass place can do with thin long strips and they normally get binned
Ferryman
05-08-2009, 19:42
I thought about it. I think im gonna do bracing like in that diagram so i can lay glass sheets on top. I seem to remember they worked well. . My uncles stopping by on saturday. . He was a major enthusiast, maybe if im lucky, he will donate some equipment to me as he hasnt used it since he moved a few years back.. Hoping. .
Ferryman
06-08-2009, 12:10
butcherman, what are sliders/how do they work? . .another question. If i were to follow that diagram above, the glass plates i lay on top for evaporation, should they fit precisely/tightly or have a bit of an open gap? I read somewhere that gas exchange is also necessary for tank health?
butcherman
06-08-2009, 13:06
Glass slides are basically a glass top to cover your tank. it help stop evaporation thats about it i find it helps alot in winter. They slide on the bracing i have on the fornt and back so i can feed the fish. These are on one of my tanks.
Ferryman
06-08-2009, 15:06
is the bracing on your system three tiered? i'm not sure looking at the fotos, but it looks that way?
So in other words the top plates can slide around without getting in each other's way. what is the width of those strips? 5cm under 5cm under 5cm or something?
butcherman
06-08-2009, 15:52
yes there are three layers so the one layer can slide all the way over the other one. its more like the bottom layer is 30mm the middle is 25mm and the top one is 20mm.
That way the bottom slider is about 16mm narrow that the top one. Hope that makes sense.
Ferryman
06-08-2009, 19:00
i dont know whether to be shocked, depressed, or to just sigh... i went to an LFS today, looked at a filter, 200l costs 412, lights, i was recommended to buy one blue, two pink and two super white tubes, each near 110, then id still have to dish out for substrate, plants, the canopy build... and then somewhere along the line, for fish too... sjeeeezz, its gonna costALOT it seems. maybe i should just leave the tank for now till i get an actual lawyer-like income. i still need to find a place to article at first .. i'll see how it goes
oh, and the lights will also need a ballast each... that was around 125? each
i dont know whether to be shocked, depressed, or to just sigh... i went to an LFS today, looked at a filter, 200l costs 412, lights, i was recommended to buy one blue, two pink and two super white tubes, each near 110, then id still have to dish out for substrate, plants, the canopy build... and then somewhere along the line, for fish too... sjeeeezz, its gonna costALOT it seems. maybe i should just leave the tank for now till i get an actual lawyer-like income. i still need to find a place to article at first .. i'll see how it goes
oh, and the lights will also need a ballast each... that was around 125? each
Dont get so disheartened. Ok lets tackle the filter first, why not build a internal filter straight into your tank the glass for it wont cost more than R50 , 1000L/h powerhead R100 and filter media about R50 so thats cut the cost of your filter by R212 . When it comes to lighting yes those lights the LFS told you about are great but you can build up to a lighting system like that , why not just go for 3 CFl bulbs which will only set you back R100 and you dont need ballasts. Plants.... well maybe ask on the forums wheather ppl are pruning and get some cuttings from them. why not use pool filter sand for substrate R50 for 40kg.which brings us to fish which depending on what you want can be expencive but you dont have to start with expencive fish and again ask on the forums , see who is breeding what .
this is a filter i am putting togeteher for a 3ft tank it might help you out
why not just go for 3 CFl bulbs which will only set you back R100 and you dont need ballasts
Guys, please check what you are doing.
220 Volts with Water Vapour = Danger.. Ouch... Bliksem.... Unless you have it sealed off , unless you go thru a ballast.. Open 220V fittings not designed for moisture WILL fail you or shocks you eventually.
A lot of members are starting to put 220V globes (no matter the wattage) staight into their hoods for saving money with globes
Ferryman
06-08-2009, 20:03
:0 sorry, i got discouraged a bit when i saw those prices and thinking on how i'm never gonna afford all that stuff, i guess i'll just have to take it the same way my tank-donar buddy did, one part at a time. the tank will probably take quite a while before it'll be truly something to look at. lol, thats why i grow and tend all my own bonsai and stock, :0 cause buying those trees ready made costs a helluva lot of money:) ... rite, patience it is then...
how does the internal filter thing work? it looks like the inner plate doesn't come up all the way for the tank's height? i'm guessing the different pockets are all filled with different filter material?, do you have a link to somewhere where this method is more broadly discussed maybe?
Ferryman
06-08-2009, 23:49
i tried googling for the type of filter you portrayed above but couldnt find anything, then finally went to the "complete aqaurium guide" and found something matching your picture called a box filter or internal box filter, am i on the right track?
...
nevermind, i read the section on box filters, that wasnt it... what do you call this type of filtering?
Ferryman
07-08-2009, 01:21
Guys, please check what you are doing.
220 Volts with Water Vapour = Danger.. Ouch... Bliksem.... Unless you have it sealed off , unless you go thru a ballast.. Open 220V fittings not designed for moisture WILL fail you or shocks you eventually.
A lot of members are starting to put 220V globes (no matter the wattage) staight into their hoods for saving money with globes
If i'm sealing off the tank top with glass plates, wouldn't that be sufficient?
if you seal of the top with glass the lights will be fine , thats what i am doing. I have no idea what that this type of filter is called and i have found very little info on the net about it , probly because i dont know whats its called :p . i have taken my design from what i have seen around in ppl tanks and from what people have told me. The pump will be in the compartment on the left with a pipe running from it to the tank to get the water back into the tank
Ferryman
07-08-2009, 09:44
i thought it may be a mini version of a sump, from what pictures ive seen, though its not below the original, and looks like it uses overflow to fill up?
Fish Fantasy
07-08-2009, 10:25
Welcome to TASA! :)
Ferryman
07-08-2009, 11:33
thanks FF.
Okay, i rummaged through my dad's tool shed today and found the following stuff from my first aquarium:
1 x teeny tiny 300l/h Chosen Power Head - max height 0.6m max l/h 300
1 x kindy scaly looking HOB filter of unknown make, lost the lid that covers the filter material, and i made up my own filter material for it too, if i remember correctly it started acting up last i used it
1 x broken heater, the glass tube is shattered
1 x ballast - Spectra by Aqua-light - can power one tube
1 x Sylvannia growlux tube, 15W, 42 cm
(1 x random nameless white tube just lying around, same length)
1 x Regent 9600 air pump - still works
1 x thermometer
1 x ancient fase thing with an airstone stuck inside
1 x completely faded greek-pillar fasade thing
2 x small 10x10x8 sized river-carved rocks
1 x small plastic "corner filter" thing - the kind that blows air to the bottom through a pipe in some gravel medium
1 x gravel suck-thing, siphon?
1 x small corner "castle fasade" - oh the shame -
1 x betta food in a stupid heart shaped container
1 x PnP bag with:
somenylon-wool stuff in and a bag of activated charcoal
a random glass marble/goon,
a 37ml bottle of algeafix
a 30ml bottle of aquachlor
some rubber airpipe lengths my tank-donor buddy gave me waaaay back then,
2 x air stones
one more random glass marble and a few 90 deg air pipe bends
a bottle of ichcide - i remember in the last days of my aquarium's life i got a few new fish, then all my fish started to succum to scary stuff, from ravaging white spot, dropsy, pop-eye, to what looked like bitemarks by other fish - holes of missing fish-ness in their sides, dunno what went wrong though, after my last neon died, i put the tank away.
a poolbrite pool-testing kit , lol, probably joinked it from my dad back then... back then i had MTS, i recovered luckily, now i have MBS.... (multi bonsai syndrome - one is never enough)
right, anyone thing the stuff i found is useful?
Welcome dude.
Yes it is similar to a sump. The only difference (as far as I understand it) is that it sits inside the tank. The is obviously a downside since it takes up space inside the tank...so less space for the tank's main purpose...showing off your fish.
Another downside is that if you don't cover it with something (from the front), then you'll see it...obviously. I've seen some nice cabinets that are build for this type of tank and hides the internal "sump", but I'm sure you can come up with an appropriate alternative.
Ferryman
07-08-2009, 11:54
I'm sure you can come up with an appropriate alternative.
Ive got a really vrot looking tank thats around 30x30x60 i think that i could clean out and probably use like a real below the tank sump, but the idea for now is to get the tank up and running, then to get better parts later on as i get some money in. lol, i'm still a full-time uni-law-student, thats why the financing sucks, my only income is a nursery job on weekends that pays 300rand for sat&sun... lol. i'm the stereotypical perpetually broke uni-student:)
i would have liked to get the pennplax cascade HOB filter the LFS showed me, but the R412 was a bit steep seeing as thats not the only thing i still have to aquire
Ferryman
07-08-2009, 12:10
LOL... my tank of wishfull thinking :D
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/Bufamotis/Photo007.jpg
Well if you do get the external sump working, you may find that it's a keeper. Sumps work very well.
butcherman
07-08-2009, 12:13
old stuff is always usefull first see what works
gravel syphon, thermometer, air pump, power head and maybe the hob if it still works will do for now till you get better stuff. maybe even the corner box filter will work for now.
you gotta think like a broke student now .... oh hold on... my bad i use to do the same when i was in school. scavange anything i could from friends that they flung out and if it worked i tried it :D
LOL... my tank of wishfull thinking :D
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/Bufamotis/Photo007.jpg
whats the power rating on the balast powering the light?
Ferryman
07-08-2009, 12:29
whats the power rating on the balast powering the light?
i dont know, that part is completely faded, all i can see is "Important: use only tubes of ........"
...
just screwed the top off, the ballast says its:
a Deca-light ballast EC 20W A50 230V 50Hz, low power factor ballast, 0,6m lamp 0.37A
butcherman
07-08-2009, 12:32
20W if im not misstaken and that is the output then you can use the 18w globes for a 3ft tank in it.
Ferryman
07-08-2009, 12:37
18 globes for 3ft tank? which are you refering to now?
butcherman
07-08-2009, 12:47
the ones i get form my lfs
its a T8 18w globe about 60cm long good size for 3ft tank
Ferryman
07-08-2009, 13:13
what do they go for? i just got a tip from henk and foned the lamphouse, they sell osram? grolux and freshaqua daylight t8's for 79.80. i dont know what the watt rating on those are though
butcherman
07-08-2009, 13:22
i think mine are the grolux its a pink color call them up again and see whats the power rating in them cause thats a good price.
Ferryman
07-08-2009, 13:37
that price is for the 30 watt tubes, theyre not full stocked atm, so i'll try them again in a week or so, see if they got new stock in. yeah i know its a good price, i can buy nearly two tubes for the price of one at my nearest LFS.
right, so unless i can find them cheaper still -doubtful- i think my Very Expensive light problem is sorted for now thanks to henks tip.
Now, whos got they goods on cheap-priced but good filters that are -premade-? before a start sticking glass back into the tank that i just took out...
Reafer's suggestion looks good, but i might have that on the back burner and try to figure out how to make a small sump-like filter in a small seperate cube-tank or something, that i will probably do when the tank is operational and cycled and populated... when multi-syndrome settles in.
Ferryman
07-08-2009, 14:11
rite, i just tested the old HOB in a plastic dastbin, it still works. i just need something to prop the bottom away from the glass, it seems the little foot it had at the bottom is broken off, it sags to the back and will probably spill out if used as is... lets play Guess that Filter... does anyone recognize this filter make?
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/Bufamotis/filterhob.jpg
I will try :) aqua clear ....... were the foot is missing use a eraser with a little glue :) ... dad did that with his one :)
butcherman
07-08-2009, 14:22
AQUA Clear 100 or 50 id say i got one similar also
Ferryman
07-08-2009, 14:34
it looks alot alike, thats probably the make then, but the product pics differ a bit, possibly as the design differed over time.. does it need a lid or is it fine without?
another thing, this was originally on a tiny 54l tank, im guessing it'll do nearly squat for my current tank?
butcherman
07-08-2009, 14:34
looks like these ones
http://www.marinedepot.com/filters_hagen_aquaclear_power-ap.html
I would search the Tupperware cupboard for a lid and modify slightly :) ... I would add it to the tank cause if it is cycling water then it is helping with filtration.
Ferryman
07-08-2009, 18:58
i finally found a glass cutter today and had him cut me two long-side braces... inside of tank measured 88.8 cm, so i had him cut it that way, not wanting the braces to fit too loosely... i asked for 6 mm same as the tank, and 5cm wide...
turned out i arrived when all the help had gone to lunch, so he couldnt put a big sheet of 6mm on the table alone, also he had no offcuts the right length.. so he gave me safety glass instead.. but he had a long piece about 23 cm in width and dint have anything else he could do with the last 10 cm strip, so he cut me two strips from it, each 11,5 cm in width... when i got the strips home, the were 3 mm too long, sheeeez. so i took out my glass cutter and cut away a 3mm strip, which incidentaly isnt that easy that thin... and i broke the 3mm off, leaving the edge a bit jagged but managable. the first strip is now glued in and drying, i'll do the other side tomorrow.. then the cross braces to lay plates on, on sunday.. guess i'll be on my way to getting some sand tomorrow...
will load a piccy up quickly
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/Bufamotis/Photo001A.jpg
Ferryman
08-08-2009, 14:15
hurrah for parents. Today i went out to buy sand for the tank, and a filter to get started with, my dad needed silica aswell to replace whats in the swimmingpool pump at the moment. so when we got to Wikkies, my dad bought three sand bags, and said he'll give me one for the tank!
so off we went to a place slojo mentioned to me off Zambezi road to get the filter, there my parents said they'd look around while i'm getting the filter, they're not gonna buy anything though.
i picked out a pennplax cascade 200 as the others looked a bit dodge? and the eheims more expensive looking, the filter turned out to be 80 rand cheaper than where i last looked...
then i also asked the clerk to help me with something to start off the cycle process once i get the tank up and running. he gave me sera bio nitrivec 100ml? (this any good you guys?)
and, since i cant fix the broken heater i wanted to get a new heater too.. now i didnt go for the expensive jagers, but i did get a hydor theo though which looked more reassuring than the 70 rand cheaper ones..
then the guy told me that id need to replace the filter inset for the cascade every month (seriously, really every month? i doubt it but i'll see how it goes...) so i got one pack of three filters to replace them..
already a pretty BIG friggin penny i went to the counter to pay, my parents (who werent planning on buying anything...) rocked up with three rawhide chew toys for the dogs, a ladder some sticks and a chew-thing for the african grey and a feeding bowl. They then offered to buy everything for me, i only have to pay for the filter (which was supposed to be all i came to buy)
So in the end, i got some of the necessities i needed thanks to parents. Yay. All i dished out was 330.00 which was quite kind to my (ned)bank-piggy
Glad you actually got more than what u paid for.
Ya..articles is a b!tch bru
Ferryman
08-08-2009, 17:36
Groot dankies Slo!
Sarf - you doing articles? I still need to find a place to do mine, that'll take me on while i do a masters too... (wanna specialize in cyberlaw)
Ferryman
08-08-2009, 18:12
btw, can anyone tell me, which testing kits are a must have? i almost fell over when i saw that a testing kit costs between 90-160 rand per chem, and a "full" kit around 300 or something, so i just wanna buy whats necessary, .... when is it necessary to buy a kit as well?
also, i just clicked on that icon that looks like crumpled paper and got a rep point, why is that? what is that?
Ferryman - If you go out and buy the SERA test strips they test for all the indicators on one strip - The secret is to buy the box of strips and then take a pair of scissors and cut each strip in half lengthways - Double your strips for the money !!!!!!!!!
Ferryman
08-08-2009, 19:27
Thanks for the tip! i'll look into it for sure. i was hoping those kinds of alternatives existed. i was expecting people to go "heathen! thou shalt not skimp out on the all important test kits in their various chemical and monetary values!"
yep...busy doing my articles now...masters in cyber law would be excellent...not many people have any qualifications in that specific part of law.dont think il be doing my masters just yet....B.com law, L.L.B and Law school have taken it,s toll..so gona take it easy for the next year and just work...and get more tanks;)
Ferryman
08-08-2009, 19:48
you brave person bcom llb..., i did one year of electronic engineering and then registered for law. you actually tackled b.com, good on you.
Did you do the law school at night in the second semester?
I'll probably have to tackle that next year as well... did you find article-firm easily enough? i need to find a firm that has a good deal of business in IP and maybe cyberlaw or IT law... apparently UCT has a masters in Cyberlaw, TUKS is still developing one, i'll do mine via correspondence from UNISA
Unfortunately test strips are not very accurate and easily contaminated.
I've been in this hobby for 34 years and tried all available kits and the only one I can recommend is the liquid test kit also by SERA.
http://www.sera-usa.com/home.php?cat=253
Ferryman
09-08-2009, 01:26
My apologies to whomever was offended by a term used in my above post for chinese branded equipment! sincerely, the shop clerk said it, and it just stuck in my head! sorry, i didnt take any notice when i posted!
On to progress...
The useless glass cube now has lateral bracing in place, tomorrow i'll do some cross braces to lay a glas "lid" on it to keep evaporation to a minimum.. i'm too 1)lazy and 2)inept with silicone to do good glass sliders, so i decided againts the possibility...
when its all dry i'll give it a light wash out, and then the sand and filtering cycling can start. then i can finally get somewhere with the tank.
lol, wish this were as easy as bonsai, at least there i feel like i know how to do with success...
i saw that kit you mentioned ryan, its 300 randish. i'll get that later on, i was looking at getting it today, but the stacked expenses stopped me
R300 is quite expensive. Shop around a bit.
But once everything is running smoothly, you really don't need to test all that often, so this kit lasts quite long.
Ferryman
09-08-2009, 13:00
i wanted to stick in the cross braces today so i could start the tank up on monday/tuesday. when i cut the 6mm plate and seperated it, it broke all wrong, so i just destroyed a good 10cm x 50cm strip, i'll have to take what's left to a class cutter tomorrow or tuesday. ugh.. setback, darn
i wanna have a cube of disembodied water floating on a cabinet by now!
Ferryman
09-08-2009, 21:04
Here we go... i'm getting somewhere
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/Bufamotis/Photo001C.jpg
the tank and stand in place
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/Bufamotis/Photo013-1.jpg
sand flushed and in, rocks and doodads in
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i207/Bufamotis/Photo018-1.jpg
my makebelieve aquarium... look at all those fish and plants... lol
Ferryman
09-08-2009, 21:40
oh yeah,, i decided i'm not gonna do the cross bracing cause i got a different idea of what to do with the glass plates, i might still do a slider effect in time...
WOW! Those fish looking awesome Ferryman :D:D
I am sure you have a shoal of glass catfish in there :)
Ferryman
09-08-2009, 23:09
soon... now the cycle wait begins... i decided to hook the little AquaClear on the other end too. its got a nice big sponge for bacterial growth. first i had it in boiled salt water for a bit to make sure what ever was in the filter before its shortlived retirement, stayed dead and gone... its rinsed under tap and clean now
Ferryman
10-08-2009, 00:27
BTW i want to make a mark at the volume % that will need to be drained and replaced every week or whenever (when should partial water changes happen?)
(im not planning on changing already, but just to get everything in order.
Also, are there any general stuff, medicines, things of importance that i should get in order to be prepared for general tank-problems? (like a first aid kit would be - like the ichcide i have etc)
found out my old thermometer is broken, so i'll need to replace that too...
Hi ,i do a 20-25% water change every week. I dont think you need to make a mark on you tank , i use 25l buckets and i know my one tank is 100L so i know i take one bucket out to get my 25% . when it comes to fish meds just take it as it comes i dont think there is a general med you can buy , idealy u dont want to add meds to your tank so just keep your water nice and clean and feed your fish with good quality food and vary there diet dont just feed one thing and thats probly one of the best things you can do to prevent illness
Ferryman
10-08-2009, 19:58
righto. advice taken, thanks. why i wanted to make a mark is, i dont have a freekin clean bucket that hasnt had handy andy or something in it, so i'll be using the gravel siphin to suck water out, then i can stop when i see its reached the mark... btw. i havent yet thrown ANYTHING in the tank cept water... should i add the nitrivec to help the tank cycle? or feed imaginary fish? i currently havent bought fish food, so ill be using my dad's koi food stash? i havent bought plants yet either, sorta focussing on finishing my draft dissertation...
If you feed the imaginary fish the food decaying will produce ammonia and the cycle will start
Ferryman
10-08-2009, 20:15
how much food, its those green and red pellet things. do i chuck it in once only, or keep doing it for a week/s or how do i do it?
Chuck in a SMALL handful and leave it - that is all there is to it
Ferryman
10-08-2009, 20:22
Righto, i'll quickly go grab some, i need a break from this screen, i'm starting to FEEL like a dissertation.
Ferryman
11-08-2009, 00:19
To update, the water was clear before starting, and i just noticed walking by, that the water has now become a tiny bit milky/murky... i'm guessing its only the food dissolving or breaking up in the water? i'm guessing you cant actually see ammonia in water
Your milky water is the cycle beginning - should be milky for about 3 or 4 days and then clear
Ferryman
11-08-2009, 13:54
ah, great to know its gross and milky for a reason :)
Those pellets are still slowly dissolving and breaking down... yum yum:)
Loving the progress on this Ferryman!
Looks good so far. Good luck with the cycling process, I'm doing the same at the moment. :bigsmile:
Ferryman have you got test kits?
Ferryman
11-08-2009, 14:26
not yet veegal... i'll go find some during the week's end Thur/Fri. Uni is keeping me a bit busy at the moment, work work work play:)
lol, thanks ruan, its a work in progress, and the first time ever that i'm actually doing things by the book... sort of.. when i was in primary school, i had a tropical tank, id fill it up with water, run the filter for a few day and then start populating the tank, cleaning out the filter as the medium got dirty, fed the fish a staedy diet of flakes, and that was about as far as my maintenance knowledge ever went... now, i'm aiming for not having to replace a fish every other week:) see, progress
LoL Ferryman at least you have some play amongst all that work :)
Ferryman
12-08-2009, 23:31
water is still ick and milky, filters have a very slight fishy smell, guess i might have thrown in a tad too much food (was only a handful, but still)
Now, does any pretorian samaritan want to donate some wood to my little circus? or at least tell me where the stuff can be found large and cheap?
I'm thinking of making a trip to fish fantacy world, if i can find it, when this tank is ready, to buy fish, saw some old price list online on their site, are they still that cheap? anyone from jhb know?
Just a suggestion..
If u want to use wood get Purigen unless u like brown/yellow water.
Hi Ferryman,
Fish Fantasy World is still fantastic. I don't know how much his prices have changed, but he is still cheaper that your LPS. If anything, you can spend hours and hours just looking at his set-up and his millions and millions of babies. (Make sure you go to his farm)
An absolutely facinating trip - visiting him is like going to a theme-park for me, so much fun!
Hi all im new... just came to sell my fish tank no space for it:(
Hi Ryansta,
Best thing for you to do would be to start a new thread. Might have better luck selling your tank like that.
Ferryman
14-08-2009, 00:37
i bought a nice looking piece of mopani wood today, Animal kingdom sells it at R48p/kg works out expensive, but ag wat, i foun a 1,6kg piece that looked nice at 79rand... still expensive, but so far i havent really seen cheaper... so i bought it, brought it home and looked for a pot to stick it in, no pot big enough, so i briefly considered soaking in in the bath or something, and decided ah what the hell, rinced it off and stuck in in the still slightly murky tank.... i put a mall rock on it as it was still floating about.
the water has gone i little tiny bit yellowish, and the wood is almost completely sinking on its own now, except that it still sorta floats around... its still being weighed down.
I looked for some affordable testing kits today, havent found one i think is worth spending that much money on... 130-150 rand for asingle chem testing kit, what the frig are these people thinking?
My ex studies BSc Chemie... maybe i should ask her to fix me up with some chemicals to test for ammonium, nitrites and nitrates and ph etc... wonder if she'll be able to tell me what is needed,,,, hmmm
i cant take pics as my samsung s7350 now has a cracked lcd screen... which happened spontaneously i might add, no outward damage, but vodacom claims it cannot be fixed under warranty, i need to cough up R900 to fix it... yeah right...
i'll try a pic with my old k810i tomorrow
butcherman
14-08-2009, 07:56
we want pics we want pics :P
Ferryman
14-08-2009, 08:21
Lol, of a murky yellow tank with nothing in? Hehe. Untill i buy a testing kit, there's now way i can know if the tank is okay to put living things in. .
I'm going to work this weekend, so i wont have time to drive around tank-accessory-buying. I still need to:
Buy a testing kit
Buy some plants
Buy wood for a canopy
Buy fittings for two or three lights
Buy the tubes
Make a canopy
. . . .
Oh, . . And buy fishies :)
butcherman
14-08-2009, 08:25
lol yes we wanna see your progress milk or not :P
Ferryman
14-08-2009, 10:23
Here's a piccy then
butcherman
14-08-2009, 10:32
nod bad at all will look great in the end i think
Ferryman
14-08-2009, 10:37
hope so, just ignore the int sized canopy, its just to curb the little tube layin ontop of the glass plates so you can actually see the tank without light in your eyes and all directiions
i currently have two filters on the tank, was thinkin of putting some purigen in the one on the left, the little aquaclear, like suggested by slojo, to help with the murky water and the yellow coloring
butcherman
14-08-2009, 10:55
hope so, just ignore the int sized canopy, its just to curb the little tube layin ontop of the glass plates so you can actually see the tank without light in your eyes and all directiions
i currently have two filters on the tank, was thinkin of putting some purigen in the one on the left, the little aquaclear, like suggested by slojo, to help with the murky water and the yellow coloring
purigen will work a dream. dont worry about the canopy we know its your work in progress
Looks good thus far :blink1:
Ferryman
14-08-2009, 18:48
bought some purigen, threw some in an old aquaclear amosorb sachet, and put that in a sy-kous to make sure the pellety things stay in, also bought a new amosorb sachet, and a new aquaclear filter sponge, my word... mine was once white? i thought brown was its normal colour...
So setup now is, , oh yes, its an aquaclear mini i found out...
aquaclear has old sponge, new sponge and purigen bag in, cascade filter is where i stuck the new amosorb sachet in, now i'll have to wait and see what the effect is on the cloudy yellow water...
also did a +/- 40l water change today to get rid of some of the yellow and cloud
moneywise, i am now nearly broke-ish, sigh, so i'll have to save up some money to go on with the project, but next purchase will be canopy wood, and maybe a few plants.... fish are still a ways off..
welcome to the world of progress when you make about R300 a weekend... lol, life sucks sometimes :)
Update, me and my buddy got together today and did some LED planning, he was so kind as to quickly solder the circuit in at his house, so i got home with the little circuit (two resistors and a transistor, and the conduit, and blue LEDs.. i'll start assembly tonight for the moonlight LED strip
Ferryman
14-08-2009, 21:49
it looks darn good in real life if i do say so myself, the cloudy water isnt helping much, but even though i can see the beams in the cloudyness, it still looks good, photo doesn't capture it well...
Now that look very nice!Is that the blue highbrights?
Ferryman
14-08-2009, 22:58
yep, blue superbrights. i'm seriously considering making another strip as well, placing one at the front of the aquarium, one at the back, it'll look brilliant, i think...
Ferryman
16-08-2009, 00:16
i added a thread to bedel for anyone's cuttings
http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showpost.php?p=15783&postcount=1
if you feel like pruning and discarding, please let me know, please?
Ferryman
16-08-2009, 15:00
I bought some vallis and elodea from pet a pond today while getting some koi food for my dad. . @R4 a plant i thought. Whathehell, two elodea and three vallis. . I'll grow them on one side of the tank where i have my one short growlux light for now. . .
Ferryman
16-08-2009, 23:47
i had to fill up petrol today, instead of the R90 i had, i used R70 and kept R20 i could use to buy a few plants...
got 5 pieces of plants at R4 each
i cut the elodea in pieces where it looked like it could grow anew
dunno if i did it right, i want the elodea planted, as opposed to floating...
lol, with my little weekend work pay, the tank needs to be filled up on wednesday, so thatll last for 'almost' two weeks petrol (driving a volla)... in other words i might contemplate a purchase of some sort buy NEXT week wednesday...
(lol, reading this i cant help but laugh, i'm such a broke bugger eh:) anyone got a weekend job for me in pretoria that'll pay more than R300? for saturday and sunday? :)
here's a piccy, i only have my old grolux tube at present so i'll only plant these few plants and only on this side of the tank where the light will cover it
We all started somewhere Ferryman - it looks good so far. The elodea (which I'm pretty sure is blacklisted by the way) grows very fast so it won't be long before it needs pruning again. :)
Ferryman
17-08-2009, 08:27
Oh. Didnt know about its status, where do i find that list?
The current list can be seen at http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?t=78
There is a draft list out but this has not yet been finalised so the list mentioned above is still applicable. :)
Ferryman
17-08-2009, 14:21
Lesson learned:
Found a halogen lamp in the tool shed and hooked it up. Placed it 6cm from my glasstop plates, looked okay. . . . . Heard a crack 5min later, the top glass cracked over the tank! Had a small LED flashlight, so i fished out the pieces, puzzled the glass to see if i missed anything, only one 1mm by 5mm slither unaccounted for. Damn. . I tilled the substrate to make sure it hopefully sank beneath the sand. . Sigh. . . Damn
It happens to the best of us..... I cracked at tank down the side once because I put a light to close to the glass
Ferryman
17-08-2009, 20:24
Phew! luckily it was just the glass cover, not the tank! the glass cover was a remnant of my firts tank, which i disassembled when my fish all died from a sick batch i bought near plantland or something, a long time ago when i was just starting highschool..
the plates were used to cover seed trays and keep moisture in when i grew new stock in spring for my bonsai, now the one 61x30cm plate is reduced to 25x30cm, i cut off the broken jagged part...
LUCKILY i still have another 61x30cm plate, so the tank is covered up again... and so i learned not to put light... 500Watt halogen lights to be precise, so close to the glass
Today i decided to set up the old 60l of my dad's as a quarintine tank, for when i have some moolah again and want to buy fishies...
here's pics of the tank set up with halogen, and the new setup with quarintine tank below
the tank is now lit by a CFL light and a desk lamp with a solaris daylight lamp i had "for studying", dont use it as its freakin bright and hurts my eyes... you wont see the lights as they're hidden behind a tamato-kas and some perspex plates, only the planted section is really lighted
incase anyone is wondering, the white stuff on the lid is styrofoam... where the glass sliders connect with the filters, i cant shape-cut the glass the fit the filters, so i use styrofoam the seal the area off from evaporation, and on the right, i have styrofoam cut the shape the glass slider strips would be, so i can slide the little 30x30cm plate on that side over the other 61x30cm plate... its effective, while i save up to buy glass plates and strips to make real sliders...
and it seems i'll have a funding setback for the fish purchase, i sent my older and "more authoritive" and "intimidating" parents to vodaworld this weekend with my broken phone this weekend to have it repaired under warranty, gave them my points of arguement, a warranty copy and the statement that it should be fixed under warranty, they returned with a statement saying we'll accept repair charges for 800 rand, not covered in a warranty... sigh, if only i didn't have to work i could have gone and argued my case...
oh well, i'll have to make downpayments on repairs for a while... please contribute your unwanted cuttings to my project you samaritan lot? lol, i'm a desperate student with bad funding :) really! :D
Ferryman
18-08-2009, 00:06
good news, on old houses you used to get a type of box from where your curtains hung... and some houses have that wooden-plank type ceiling. so has our house got the ceiling and the box curtains, well, the last remaining box curtain is in the television room, the rest are now replaced with modern curtain rails etc, but thing is, these boxes were made to match the wood ceilings, and they also match my apartment shelves etc. so my dad said when they replace this last curtain, they will throw the box away, and i may then use it to build a canopy!!! its going to look awesome,! cant wait to get my hands on the wood
heres the pic of the box
Damb!!!! lucky you I never thought of that and my girlfriends mom has take all of there houses "boxes" down and thrown them away....... Stupid me, she did ask if we wanted them but we said no thanks :banghead:
Ferryman
18-08-2009, 08:50
lol, i never had a use for the others we threw away either, last night i asked my dad, "what're you gonna do with this one" and he said "throw it away, you could probably use it for your canopy"... :D so there i had a start on the canopy without taking out a cent for wood:) and it matches the cubbourds etc in the apartment
Wow - just goes to show - thinking outside of the box helps :)
Ferryman
20-08-2009, 01:16
The fun continues, follow the thread further at
http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?t=1296
Ferryman
26-10-2009, 17:49
Welcom to TASA... you WILL become addicted
a truer word had not been spoken soon enough
True True... from 1 tank 2 almost 4 tanks ...lol soon you will be in the same boat as me, you will have a lot of tanks and not know were to put them all...lol
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