Reconsidering the porky?

[porcpuffer]

Alright. So it seems that there is a possibility of having a tank 180x60x60 custom built. I'm wondering if I could do a single porky in there, with x amount of life rock, and a skimmer rated for 200 gallons.

I'm wondering if I could skimp a bit on the life rock, as these things are hell expensive over here. Is there a way to make live rocks from a starter few in captivity to the same degree, or even minor degree of filtration effectiveness?

[J-P]

absolutely, they are called seed rocks.

but wait..... why is it so expensive? Much of our live rock gets shipped in from Indonesia (Bali) and you're practically neighbors. Also Singapore being an island itself, couldn't you just contract a local fisherman or someone from Malaysia to grab you a few bucket fulls? The better stuff would be coming out of the Sabah region.

[jus85411]

heres an awesome method of DIY live rock. but after you make it you will basically have to soak it and cure it for a while before you can put it in a tank ready for cycle. so maybe get started now while you are waiting on the custom tank. i am using this for the next time i do a SW tank, the freedom to make whatever shaped rocks you want is awesome, and it will be tons cheaper. i have already considered making a lot extra and selling it around locally on CL for a good price to make back the investment money for the project

[jus85411]

sorry i forgot the link

[porcpuffer]

I'm 15. It takes me a lot of time to save up to about 400 dollars, thus the attempt for steal deals. For that same reason, I imagine I would probably be unable to contact a fisherman, and any time to pick live rock from Singapore shores is going to get you in some measure of trouble I think. That's interesting though, I never imagined we'd have someone nearby, where are you from J-P?

For the DIY live rock, how porous is it? I'm looking for good stuff so I can get as little as possible. It sounds interesting, certainly.

Whoops, just realised you're from canada.

[jus85411]

the DIY live rock is very porous. the link above includes rock salt in the mixture, after your rock is dry you let it sit in a bin of water changing some out every few days until your salinity is 0. the rock salt will dissolve but when it dissolves it creates nooks and crannies all inside and out. at the end of that video, after he has let the rock sit soaking for a little while, he pours water over the top of the rock and it comes right out of it on the bottom and the sides. im definitely trying this method when i set up a tank again, if not sooner just to practice and try to sell it off

[J-P]

jus85411

i don't want to come off as offensive, so please forgive me. porcpuffer is from an island in the tropics. He is the only 1st world country surrounded by 3rd world. His dollar value is much higher than his neighbors. It may cost MORE to go cement than contacting a local. In this situation you have Malaysia to the north (with Borneo as a gold mine) and Indonesia to the south.

Jeese if I was that close I'd take a boat out myself...

porcpuffer:
Take the wife on a simple dive trip and collect all the rock you want Sipidan I hear is very nice

[porcpuffer]

Woah woah, hold on there; I'm 15! Let's not be talking about wives yet.

I was rather interested in the video. But I need to know what white Portland cement is, I can't find any of the US products over here, drives me nuts, especially when I was doing research about feeding a bearded dragon.

On a side note, Is there any fish I could consider as tankmates, I'm thinking just one other fish that has a low to moderate bioload.
They've got to be blue though. Is there a chance of having a snowflake eel and puffer sitting comfortably in this system, or what would a comfortable volume be?

[porcpuffer]

What model is this skimmer? Is this good enough for a 160 gallon?

I had to crop the file by lots. It is a cylinder, from base all the way up.

Anyway, here's a link to the full image if needed.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... nt-skimmer

[jus85411]

no offense JP just putting out there what i knew would at least be cheaper for us. availability is another story lol.

im trying to find out what gallons that skimmer is rated for, does it have a model number or anything on it? if white portland cement isnt available, i would look into the ingredients and see what you might have available to you that is similar to it if your interested in doing it that way

[Pufferpunk]

Looks small. Why not send the pic to the company & ask them?

[J-P]

porcpuffer:

I still don't understand why you are even considering cement. I don't know the difference between "portland" cement vs other kinds. Could it be brand name? Other may chime in. If I were you, even at 15, open up the phone book and make a few calls to fishermen. You should be able to get live rock for VERY cheap if not free. Even contact some dive clubs.

[porcpuffer]

I don't actually have an economical sense of the whole thing. But I imagine, if placed proportionately, it'd be very, very much cheaper. I'll check out your suggestion about the fisherman thing. Forget the phone book though, hell, this society is pragmatic.

I've googled the thing. It looks like the reef octopus classic 800, and uses a classic OTP 2000 pump. Question is, it comes from china (reference the site listed on the skimmer), and last I checked, that website doesn't sell RO classic 800.

By the way, this is from a guy from a local reef club.

[porcpuffer]

I don't actually have an economical sense of the whole thing. But I imagine, if placed proportionately, it'd be very, very much cheaper. I'll check out your suggestion about the fisherman thing. Forget the phone book though, hell, this society is pragmatic.

I've googled the thing. It looks like the reef octopus classic 800, and uses a classic OTP 2000 pump. Question is, it comes from china (reference the site listed on the skimmer), and last I checked, that website doesn't sell RO classic 800.

By the way, this is from a guy from a local reef club selling me stuff.