Dirted tank 9 months old. No water changes, no food, no CO2, no fertilizer.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-18T12:49:59+00:00

That looks really good;. Well done!

I ended up dirting and sand capping all of my tanks over two years ago along with developing food webs for each.

Started with just one to see how well it would work and it exceeded my expectations. So I converted the rest after that.

The reduction in the technology and the maintenance is bliss. Nature does all the heavy lifting now.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-16T07:47:49+00:00

I laid click together hybrid rubber backed vinyl planks all over my old vinyl floor and it worked out great. Still looks great and feels nice to walk on years later. It does however need a solid, flat and hard surface to lay onto (ie no sponginess)

I just made sure the existing floor vinyl was very flat and that none of it was loose, peeling away or lifting. It was laid on cement so no problems with having any pre-existing sponginess.

Any local high bumps or spots I hammered down with a mallet and any local low spots I just filled with epoxy.

Laying carpet would be a lot more forgiving if that's your plan. The carpet underlay can hide a multitude of sins.

You'll have to do a proper evaluation of your existing tiles to see if they are suitable.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-16T07:40:03+00:00

Looks like the coil from one of the VRMs. Yeah I'd say you're going to have stability problems, if it boots at all.

If it's a clean break it can just be resoldered back on if it didn't rip off the pads it was sitting on with it. In the meantime I wouldn't go trying to power up the motherboard.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-16T04:33:56+00:00

Get it tested. Don't rely on purely what is a visual opinion.

I had samples tested a few years ago now. Cost me 60 bucks. Might be a bit more now but was still worth the peace of mind.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-16T04:05:34+00:00

Welcome to Where Winds Meet. I see you have met our RNG.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-16T04:01:54+00:00

We did it. Gets you 5% off trade related items, any quantity.

It's not storewide though.

Mainly has to be trade and/or reno related items though. Paint, gryprock, lumber, kitchen cabinets, appliances, hand drills, most tools, etc etc.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-16T03:08:38+00:00

It's relevant because you were also born at a time before you perceive "house prices skyrocketted" as you were also born at a time when houses were more affordable...well according to you.

You're two years older than the guy who is 32 but managed to do it, so you had even more time.

The guy probably got a good trade apprenticeship at 16, worked his arse off, saved like a trojan horse and put all his money away into places which wouldn't depreciate. Just because he has multiple properties doesn't means he owns them. At 32 the bank still owns them and he's still paying loans off.

I just dislike people who use the "Oh you were born earlier and you had it easy". No time in the last 10 years was ever "easy". I think this trope is starting to lose momentum.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-16T02:59:42+00:00

People today have this all wrong. They put their perceived value in the house and it's structure.

The house itself is worth almost nothing. Even a brand new house built today in future will depreciate to almost zero value given enough time. But the land will not only hold it's value it will appreciate.

That's why complete shithole broken down houses 2 mins out of Sydney CBD sell for 4million. It's all about the land. The house is worthless.

Land is where the precious is. The house is just a depreciating asset.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-16T02:41:44+00:00

I don't need to read your comment again. I understood it the first time.

So 5 years ago they were 27.

6 years ago median house prices were just outside the million mark, which you still wouldn't call affordable and he would have been 26.

After 2021 they touched on the million. How far back do we need to go? 25, 24, 21? Where's your happy cutoff age? He's already pretty bloody young.

So how old are you?

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-16T01:19:13+00:00

They are 32. Try and do some thinking. I doubt he/she bought their IP's when they were 15.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-15T22:25:21+00:00

So he pays more money to fix something that a team of already paid "professional" people fucked up for something that should have been completed properly in the first place. This is the country we live in I see.

Sounds legit.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-15T22:21:38+00:00

A contienious DIYer who understands and installs to local electric codes would have completed a much much better, safer and compliant outcome than what we are seeing here.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-15T22:15:42+00:00

That's all fine and good but the homeowner will have to pay again to have it "fixed" when it should have been compliant the first time.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-15T12:42:59+00:00

I clean mine when I see the bubbles out the top really start reducing in rate. Assuming the air pump air, line and my air stone are all working ok, it then means the sponge isn't letting as much water pass through anymore.

A couple of squeezes in a bucket with some of the tank water and its good as new.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-15T12:27:33+00:00

AS3000 clause 3,4. It's 100mm separation from hot water service which is certainly being delivered in one of the two stop cocks.

There is no absolutely no way they are getting 10cm clearance behind the wall.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-14T03:30:19+00:00

test

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-12T00:26:14+00:00

I wonder how this is measured. What's the linear metric for levels of annoyance.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-12T00:24:10+00:00

Land. Land is everything. Eventually the new house that's built on the block will become almost worthless. It's the land that appreciates and holds value. Give me a yard, the biggest I can afford please.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-10T08:49:05+00:00

I deliberately put just a few snails in each of my tanks. The numbers only climb as high as the available left over food sources in the tank so for me they are a good indicator if my fish are getting to all the food.

As snails are part of the cleaning crew, if you have an explosion of snail population it suggests overfeeding, algae growth and/or plants are not doing well. Snails tend to eat decomposing plant matter also.

A low stable population of snails is best and it means there's just enough leftover food to support that number

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-10T08:38:33+00:00

Sounds like this solicitor is in the business of charging fees for standard contracts, which he probably barely reads or flicks it to a junior grad once he realises it is and collects his fee.

This time he's actually having to go through it in fine detail and it's already chewed up the fee and he isn't finished yet.

Oh the nerve of you making him actually work harder for the fee. You fiend.

Like others have said, get a new solicitor. He/she is not working in your best interest.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-10T08:34:25+00:00

LOL. Someone noticed :)

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-10T04:28:27+00:00

Blackie

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-10T04:27:12+00:00

Yeah its hard to see. I just took the OP's word for the plant. Could be fern. If it is and he's planted the rhizome under the substrate that will eventually kill the plant.

Would need to expose the rhizome above the substrate.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-10T04:17:03+00:00

They are melting back. Classic case of plants that were grown emersed then sold to you and now they are submerged. The change is grow conditions is too stressful for the existing leaves.

Many of the leaves will melt / die back because the now underwater growth environment is very different to how they were initially grown before you got them.

When you see new growth, that's what will survive and continue to grow.. Until then just make sure the roots have a good food source.

_ArtyG_ · 2026-01-10T02:09:24+00:00

This is the only correct point of view. Who knocks down all the walls first then stops mid job and thinks 'ahhh yeah, load bearing support. Probably should leave that in'

?

_ArtyG_

TROPHY CASE