GEX 600 filter setup, L-75 and White lobster

Today i completed my filter setup for my GEX 600. The canister is placed below the dining table and out of sight. Bought all that i need plus a few extra on Sunday. I decided to go with the lily pipe as they called it or simply glass intake and output pipes. Very classy, in fact i prefer the glass over the stainless steel pipes, at least for this setup that is.

The filter i selected for the new setup is the German made Tetra EX  power 90. Looks classy enough with all the user friendly features that you would expect. On/Off tap, self priming, filter basket, rotatable input/Output. Filter media of choice would be 2 kg biohomme plus , 1 kg Eheim Biomech and 0.5 kg coral chips. I also bought a Italy made Hydor canister filter for my other planted tank. will be doing the upgrade this week. I got the Hydor at a huge discount, probably it was the last piece and not very popular among hobbyist.  Having unboxed it and examine, the design is good enough but i guess the finishing is not as good as the Tetra EX.  Lastly i go the Kotobuki powerbox mini for the GEX 300. this looks cool enough for a nano canister filter for a ultra small tank. uses submerged pump so no priming problem, you can place it side by side your tank.

Eheim should still be the first choice for all hobbyist who plan to purchase their first can filter. i currently run 2x 2260 and 1x 2080. the 2260 beats everyone hands down with its functionality, the best being it use the universal pump which allow you to do upgrade and replacement easily. design however is rudimentary. you will need to purchase double tap which is costly in order to save you the hassle of  flooding during maintenance. 2080 solved all that problem but not powerful enough and no upgrade options, beside the canister is not as big as the 2260. I was bored of the Eheim green colour design anyway so i have been urging to try out other canister filter. so far the tetra is quite impressive.

As for livestock, i bought a white lobster, didn't know there is this colour for lobster.  I also got myself the nicely dotted L75 pleco.


1. Tetra EX Power 90 - $186
2. ANS Glass pipe set- $62
3. Biohomme plus 2 kg- $90
4. Eheim BioMech 1kg- $23
5. GEX digital Thermometer - $26
6. Hydor prime 90 - $118
7. Kotobuki Powerbox mini - $25

Finalized budget for the Gex600(not including livestock) is $526.90( from previous post) + 186 + 62 + 90 + 23 + 26 = $887.90

Livestock
1. L75 Pleco (small) - $38
2. White Lobster - $8.50

GEX Slim 300 Updates and NEW GEX Slim 600

As you would recall, i recently setup a GEX nano tank on my table to provide some live decoration while i eat ( http://sungod666.blogspot.com/2011/07/new-gex-nano-aquarium-for-dining-table.html). Well the more i looked at it the more i feel it could be improved on. So i decided to move the current one into study and setup a more fancy one on the dining table. As for the current GEX, i added some catfish and most interestingly the dwarf  orange crayfish. It is a crayfish except it will not grow big but remain at 2-3cm. Now onto the new GEX

Firstly i decided to go for the GEX Slim 600 with 2 powerful GEX turbo fans, i bought the largest model. For this time, i will spend some work on getting the electrical cables neat and tidy. The solution is the belkin concealable 8 way gang and Blue lounge Cablebox.

Lighting have to improved as well, Arcadia LED submersible is the way to go. It is branded, powerful and submersible, having a basic 2 ft overhead lamp is just plain ugly and bulky on the dining table. to add to the WOW factor, i decided to make the 2 arcadia led to be remote controllable. The habitat concept remain the same as the previous one, an un-themed planted scape. inhabitant have yet to be decided but i think shrimp is off the list. As for filter, i am opting for a canister filter this time. Undecided on the brand so far. Shortlisted include GEX, Tetra, Fluval, Eheim and Sera. Budget is set at $300 including media

GEX 300 updates

1. 3 x Dwarf Crayfish
2. 2 x Line Catfish $2each, bought two
3. Full Moon blue Betta $10

New GEX Setup

1. GEX Slim 600 (L60cm x W20cm x H25cm)- $45
2. Two GEX Turbo fan (largest size) - $60 each ($120)
3. One GEX Large air pump (red, 2 outlet) - $30
4. Two Sander Wooden air diffuser - $2 each ($4)
5. Two soundtech digital remote controller adaptor - $56.90
6. One Belkin concealable 8 way gang - $69
7. Two BlueLounge cable box - $49 each ($98)
8. Two Arcadia White LED Submersible - $42 each ($84)
9. One GEX Aquarium Soil 4kg - $20
10. Budgeted Canister filter including media - $300 (will buy next week)

Total =  $826.90

Parazin and others

Got some request from some forum members about Parazin. Parasites on fish is such a chore and by my opinion is much harder to treat than bacteria infection. Parazin is the medication to use in my opinion for a fast effective cure. here are the pictures. Parazin comes in tablet form that will dissolve in water but you can pre dissolve your med first before mixing.


Follow instruction on the bottle and do not change water until treatment is over. it take a few days to complete. turn off UV light, take away any charcoal, zorb, biopellet. feed as per normal or feed medicated food with vitamin if you have.  keep filter running. Parazin and the full range is available from C328 and parazin cost aroudn $75 for the professional 200 tablets bottle. Good luck Bros!

The urge to buy- $258 trash can and $79 soap dispenser

I am at it again. i got a shopping problem. i need to buy things. today while having dinner at IMM i bought 2 utterly unnecessary stuff. Yah it got it use but only people who don't think logically will splurge this kind of money on it.

The design just caught my attention and i got to have it. this is the sexiest thrashcan i see in a long time, so much for those plastic piece of crap you buy for $20 at your area hardware shop. it just make a thrashcan look as it is ... THRASH. i cant stand it but i need to use it, i hate the cheap spring, the lousy coloured plastic, the non grip base, the worst of all, the cheap plastic bag excess that is rimming the cheap bucket which is a shame to bag and throw. ever wonder why people who empty thrash do it fast??? it is just funny to be caught dead emptying your garbage with a dirty cheapo bucket!

so here comes along this stainless steel, American made,  fingerprint proof, heavy gripped base and best of all "Lids Shox"(Air suspension shock control) which just means it doesn't slam the lid when you remove that fuck feet of yours. Now thats an improvement! and it comes with a 10 year warranty..WTF however, it is totally unnecessary to pay $258 for such insignificant luxuries but i just cant help it. If you want to splurge on a thrashcan, than let me introduce to you the simplehuman butterfly can. Apparently simplehuman is a Californian company that does avant garde design for household items (www.simplehuman.com) I will be buying more of it stuff after the bastards included a complete catalogue in my thrashcan box! the assholes!

Along with the thrashcan, i also bought the simplehuman soap dispenser. $79 for that crap when the lifebuoy 1L bottle was doing fine sitting on the sink tray.  i had refilled that cheap bottle countless times but today i convinced myself my soap deserve a better home..... besides it got 5 year warranty!

i need to stay away from Homefix. fuck!

My first Bettinardi (BB1-34)

Yes! finally got my hand on this very well crafted putter. Handmade in a workshop under the watchful eyes of the founder Mr Bettinardi himself. First read about this putter in golf digest but never really held one in my hands. Finally Singapore got a distributor for this amazing putter and i tell you, once you hold it and put, you will never look back. My $400 Odyssey looks like child's play compare to this handcrafted one. Even the similarly priced Scotty Cameron is out of its league.

Of course, if you already have a $4k Honma, don't let me influence you into this. But hey, a very rich uncle did let me play a few puts with his custom made, gold headed  $20k Honma and i am ashamed to say it didn't improve my put anymore than my trusted Dunlop. Today is the day the dunlop retires because i have found a worthy replacement.

I got the BB1 for $650 but i believe it will serve me in the years to come, it is unlikely i will get another putter in the near future. so to rest, my various Odyssey and my first putter the Dunlop. Sold to me by an engineer in the science centre car park 4 years ago.

New Fire Shrimps and Grouper from Coral Farm LCK

Got myself some sea shrimps for my reef tank. The colour is so intense, if only it was a freshwater species, i bet it would be worth a fortune considering how some SSS grade crystal red go for $100 each. Seem that most living things from the sea is extremely colourful. $25 each from coral farm in lim chu kang, they just got a batch of fire shrimp and the quality is quite good. Got myself 2.

on sale was also the peppermint shrimp from the Caribbean. also $25 each but less colourful and smaller. got one anyway because it will control the aiptasia population in my reef. if it is as good as claim, i plan to get 5 more. will wait for their skunk shrimp shipment, been wanting to get some big skunk.

Lastly i brought home this fat grouper that was staring at me to accompnay the Lionfish and copperband. $18 for it.

New GEX Nano aquarium for the dining table

Yes! fellow hobbyist i have decided to join the hordes of cruel fish abusers by purchasing one of the absurdly small tank and lie to  myself that i am not being cruel to animals as long as i keep something small like tetras, snails and all that bullshit.  But hey, i can always saved the poor fish by migrating it into one of the many humanely setup tanks that i keep. those of you who have just a absurd nano are just plain cruel eh.

Sarcasm aside, here is a list of equipment i bought to make the nano as livable as possible. Just in case anybody want to use it as a guide.

1. GEX Crystal glass nano (L30cm x W20cm x H25cm) 15 liter - $38
2. GEX Slim filter Hang-on (large) include 4 media cartridge- $28
3. GEX Turbo Fan (medium) -$36
4. Dymax ZON Led Light (White and blue) -$31
5 GEX Air pump - $7.50
6. ANS Nano glass diffuser- $5

Total paid- $145.50

Temp maintained at 25-26 with the good GEX fan so Moss and Riccia  can survive without chiller. CO2 still need to dose though.

Suggested inhabitants

1. fancy small shrimps (crystal red, sakura etc) OR/
1a. Yamato shrimp
2. single male Betta
3. two horned nerite snails

now i can enjoy a nice meal with some live decorations. here are the pictures

Maxi Jet powerhead from the USA

Seems like nobody care to invest in a good powerhead these days when the china made ones are easily replaceable for less than $10. well i think its worthwhile to get a good powerhead especially if your aquarium is always alone by itself with nobody at home, i use this US made powerhead to power my 1/15 hp arctica. very reliable, my last one lasted my 5 years before the flow rate start slipping.  just got 2 replacement recently, one from C328, the other from seaview

$40-$50 depending on flow rate. the 1100/he being the most powerful. so if you are think ng of a better powerhead, give this a try. you can even buy an upgrade kit to make it into a wavemaker.

some updates of fishes in the planted tank

The red lobster moved in and has settle happily.

New blue ram from polyart, changes body colour during feeding, dont know why

golden guorami getting bigger and bigger, when will it end?? 14 inches long and counting

My Colombian Zebra L-129

Just as some forummer at Arofanatic says, the pleco poison is getting deeper into me. I just cant stop loving these plecos, the more i buy the more i want. I now have more than 8 classified Pleco. the latest to my addition is the L129 Colombian Zebra. took the shot in the plastic bag, will update the shots of it in tank when it stabilize.  $35 for this small pleco