My simple, and SLOW build

[PoeticInjustice]

Tank looking good. How did you glue those rocks together?

[Oldcabin]

Thanks!

The left side of the tank isn't glued at all. I used a driveway marker rod from Lowe's and glued it into a few cutting boards for support. Then just drilled the rock so I could stack them.
On the right side, I used marine safe two part epoxy.

[Oldcabin]

Microbubbles are gone!
Brown diatoms are fading!
Still scraping green algae daily.......

I also have what I fear is GHA, bad pics, but what is this? It looks like weeds that would grow in the grass. Small stem with fluffy top (like wheat).





Skimmate pic for fun.....pretty wet thus far

[Oldcabin]

Testing results on 10/13:
Salinity = 1.024
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 5
Nitrate = 40
PH = 8.0

[Oldcabin]

Starting to get nervous.......I have to scrap huge amounts of green algae off the glass everyday (sometimes within hours). I have added an AC70 with carbon and bioballs to help with filtration for now. I can't seem to get the water to clear up, it is constantly milky, and then when I scrap the algae it obviously gets worse. Filter and skimmer can't seem to keep up.

I also noticed what I think are copepods on the glass today. This is a good sign?

[daplatapus]

Yes, copepods are definitely a good sign. Also expect to see hydroids on the glass. Check your phosphate levels. Too much phosphates will lead to algae issues, although some of your pics look exactly like mine (my tank is 7 weeks old) and it shows 0 phosphates, but sometimes that's normal as the algae eats up the phosphates to a level that the tests no longer can detect. From my research a phosban reactor helps, but then again so does a clean up crew

[Oldcabin]

Update on my bacteria box......
Testing results on 10/18:
Salinity = 1.024
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0-5
PH = 8.4

I have mixed feelings. My testing results indicate I am near the end of my cycle (I'll be sure it stays stable for another week or two), but I still have what seems like every kind of undesirable algae.....clean up crew to come shortly (I hope).

[jamesdean3]

I think its safe to go ahead and add some CUC. cycle appears to be over and safe for some inverts. GG and as always have fun !

[Oldcabin]

That's what I like to hear! Do you think a CUC will help with my water clarity?
I would like to do some water changes to help clear it up, but was told no changes until the cycle is complete.

[rogermccray]

Looking good, I am still a newbie myself, but everything you state seems to be normal for a cycling tank.

[Oldcabin]

So I added a few inverts a few days ago....8 snails (various) and 10 hermits.
So far they have been making great progress on my algae! It's also nice to see something moving in the tank

I've also cut my lighting schedule down which seems to be helping. Water is clearing up and all seems well. Just need to start collecting coral and fish!

[89Foxbody]

Cutting down on the lights is a good idea. Especially since you don't have any photosynthetic light in the tank at all. Once you do, a 8 hours of full light per day should be plenty.

As far as your CUC, check out www.reefcleaners.org and get one of their Quick Crews for a 55g. John is the man and he will hook you up with more snails than you could possibly imagine. Free shipping as well.

Looking good so far. I like what you did with the shelf rock.

If you are concerned with your water clarity you could just add some filter floss to your HOB filter to grab the stuff floating in your water column. I would get rid of the bio-balls though, that's what your live rock is for.

[Hernandezj11]

Tank looks awesome! can't wait to see some more new additions!!

[CarlitosReef]

Happy to see another reefer with a 55g. I realize the 55g can be tricky especially the stand. Il be tagging along since I'm also doing a 55g but it will be frag tank. Do you have a sump? Any videos?

[Jvak]

Great looking start! Im a big fan of your rock work

[Oldcabin]

Foxbody -- Appreciate the input, I hadn't even thought of filter floss. I'll certainly give that a shot!

Carlitos -- No sump, no video yet -- sorry.

Appreciate all the suggestions/comments!

[Oldcabin]

Update.
All has been progressing as normal. I've boosted my CUC by another 30 snails or so and I'm still fighting off some GHA and normal green algae, but it is managable. Thinking of adding phosphate reactor.....

I also picked up a 20 head Nuclear Green Candy Cane, 6 head Frogspawn, and an 15 head Acan from a nearby reefer a few weeks ago. They are all doing great so far! I fed them for the first time last night with mixed results. The candy cane ate easily, but the acan didn't appear to be interested. I'll keep trying a few times a week after lights out.

Pics to come shortly.

[BigBoi5680]

Definitely subscribing!

[CRC88]

Definitely following along on this one! I have a 55G that I seem to have started around the same time as you, mid Sept 2011. I still keep getting a lot of algae on my glass (brown stuff), but a quick run-around with the Mag-Float wipes it off.

The algae on my rocks went the full spectrum of colors - Brown to Green and now to Red. From what I've read, the red is the good stuff. I had some issues with Bryopsis, and a general abundance of algae, so I ran a Phos scrubber which did a lot to stunt their growth. It took about a week, but I noticed everything started to recede.

Here's my link if you wanna check it out. I'm going to try to post a few new pics soon. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2069247

[Oldcabin]

Update. I haven't posted pics in awhile - so here they are!
All is going well. Winning a battle with GHA through water changes and all my corals are doing well. I think I saw my acan poop for the first time
Struggling with taking it slow -- so tempting to add new life and have to remind myself that I haven't even see any corraline yet -- still a very young tank.

Still learning how to take good pictures, but better than nothing. I'll try to get some under the actinics for next time.

Older pic










Accidental frag -- hoping these make it through.....

[Oldcabin]

Haven't updated in awhile.......but lots has taken place.
I had a cyano and dino outbreak and went lights out for 3 days, sandwiched by large water changes. Problem solved! It's been a week and a half now with only the slightest signs of new dino growth. I'm guessing I'll need another lights out some time in the future, but for now the tank looks great!

I also upgraded my lights to Metal Halide. My PC's were very close to the water and kept shorting out due to condensation. I didn't have any fans running to help. Figured in the long run upgrading would be the better solution.

Now that I have sufficient lighting, I'm hoping to dabble in some beginner SPS.

More pics to come shortly.

[0000]

tanks looks great!!

Just wondering what is the white crate for under the rocks?

[Oldcabin]

A few things I guess....
1) To prevent placing the rock directly on the bottom glass of the tank
2) Allows less of the rock to be buried when adding the sand

It's not a necessity per se, but many use it just in case.