Finally, my tank is starting to get interesting...(photos)(for me anyways)

Monkey55 · 01/15/2007, 07:52 PM

I started my tank on December 28. I use RO water. I put 45 pounds of LR in it. and a peppermint and 5 hermits (small blue).I never had much of a cycle cause the rock was fully cured and my sand was innoculated with live sand, water params have always been very good. In the last week and a half I have added a bunch of stuff, I now have

2- small chromis
1 - top hat snail
2 - turtle snails
1 - peppermint shrimp
1 - cleaner shrimp
12 - small blue hermits
And this wekend I added a large bubble coral and a small colt coral frag. Now and then I add Phytos and Calcium.

Today I did a 15% water change and tested my water, results as follows:
Temp: 80.5
SG: 1.0248 (slowly raising it to 1.0255)
PH: 8.3
Carbonate hardness: 170 mg/L
Calcium: 460 mg/L
Phosphates: .5 mg/L
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0.1 mg/L
Nitrate: 3mg/L

Everything looks healthy and lively. But the colt looks kind of saggy. And the bublle coral's bubbles don't get much bigger than .5-1 cm in diameter so far. I have the tank on 12 hour light cycles. But all in all, I am excited.

Here are some photos. Is there anything I should do, or does this all look okay. what do you think.

Thanx

Monkey55 · 01/15/2007, 07:53 PM

Oh, and are those bad places to have positioned my colt coral and bubble coral. Will the water flow for them be correct?

Phillybean · 01/15/2007, 08:14 PM

Looks good, what size is the tank?

Monkey55 · 01/15/2007, 08:19 PM

29Gallon

Monkey55 · 01/15/2007, 09:05 PM

hello, is anyone there, Are thes good spots to place my coral?
My mushroom shrunk abit today, is that normal?

Craig Lambert · 01/15/2007, 09:09 PM

The spots you've chosen look fine. I do think you are a bit early to add corals though. 4 months, or when coralline appears on the glass is a good rule of thumb.

frederickk · 01/15/2007, 09:11 PM

Nice rockwork

Monkey55 · 01/15/2007, 09:13 PM

Thanx dude

Monkey55 · 01/15/2007, 09:14 PM

too late now, I'll see how it goes. What about polyps, could I add them in a few weeks?

rivank · 01/15/2007, 09:19 PM

WOW, I would slow down a touch IMO. As some one here says....only bad things happen fast in reef keeping. Let the tank adjust to it's new things for a while. Again just my opinion. What works for some doesn't always work for others I know. Caution is always good though!

Monkey55 · 01/15/2007, 09:24 PM

yah, I am definently gonna let it settle for a month or so. I just wanted something in there to watch. haha. anyways in a month, how solid would it be to add white star polyps?

frederickk · 01/15/2007, 09:28 PM

If all your levels are ok then you might consider it.

Monkey55 · 01/15/2007, 09:30 PM

cruel, apparently , the reason I have a few phocphates, nitrates, and nitrites is because I feed my 2 shrimp and 2 chromis a medium pinch of flake food a day. apparently it should only be every second day.

frederickk · 01/15/2007, 09:35 PM

I agree that every other day would be enough. If it were anthias that would have been different

Monkey55 · 01/16/2007, 08:16 PM

I recall, being told that my tank is getting loaded too fast. And I should wait until I see coralline on the glass. Well I clean my glass all the time so i figured I hadn't seen coralline on the glass yet. But I was looking closer today and all the places I can't get at to clean are COVERED in it, as well as my magfloat, and the black plastic on the back wall. As well the two pieces of LR that i boiled (to kill aiptasia) are COVERED in specks of purple coralline now.

I take it that this is a good sign, means my tank is really happy?

Monkey55 · 01/16/2007, 08:17 PM

I agree, I have loaded it quickly, and I am gonna give it a month to settle. but it does seem to be healthy though.

01/15/2007, 07:52 PM	#1
Monkey55 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 445	Finally, my tank is starting to get interesting...(photos)(for me anyways) I started my tank on December 28. I use RO water. I put 45 pounds of LR in it. and a peppermint and 5 hermits (small blue).I never had much of a cycle cause the rock was fully cured and my sand was innoculated with live sand, water params have always been very good. In the last week and a half I have added a bunch of stuff, I now have 2- small chromis 1 - top hat snail 2 - turtle snails 1 - peppermint shrimp 1 - cleaner shrimp 12 - small blue hermits And this wekend I added a large bubble coral and a small colt coral frag. Now and then I add Phytos and Calcium. Today I did a 15% water change and tested my water, results as follows: Temp: 80.5 SG: 1.0248 (slowly raising it to 1.0255) PH: 8.3 Carbonate hardness: 170 mg/L Calcium: 460 mg/L Phosphates: .5 mg/L Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0.1 mg/L Nitrate: 3mg/L Everything looks healthy and lively. But the colt looks kind of saggy. And the bublle coral's bubbles don't get much bigger than .5-1 cm in diameter so far. I have the tank on 12 hour light cycles. But all in all, I am excited. Here are some photos. Is there anything I should do, or does this all look okay. what do you think. Thanx

01/15/2007, 08:14 PM	#3
Phillybean Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Kelowna B.C. Posts: 610	Looks good, what size is the tank? __________________ It's not how much is costs that matters, it's how much you told your wife it costs!

01/15/2007, 09:09 PM	#6
Craig Lambert Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 2,897	The spots you've chosen look fine. I do think you are a bit early to add corals though. 4 months, or when coralline appears on the glass is a good rule of thumb. __________________ "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will spend all day in a boat drinking beer." Current Tank Info: 75G Tank, 29G Sump, 100lbs LR, AquaC EV-180, Iwaki MD-20RT return Tunze nano streams 4X54 t-5/Icecap Ballast & SLR's 2x110 vho actinic

01/15/2007, 09:19 PM	#10
rivank Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Dakota Posts: 127	WOW, I would slow down a touch IMO. As some one here says....only bad things happen fast in reef keeping. Let the tank adjust to it's new things for a while. Again just my opinion. What works for some doesn't always work for others I know. Caution is always good though! __________________ Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends... Here's to those before us, those of us, and those after us............ Current Tank Info: 46 Gal Reef, 35 Gal FW, 125 Gal SW in the works.

01/15/2007, 07:53 PM	#2
Monkey55 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 445	Oh, and are those bad places to have positioned my colt coral and bubble coral. Will the water flow for them be correct?

01/15/2007, 08:19 PM	#4
Monkey55 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 445	29Gallon

01/15/2007, 09:05 PM	#5
Monkey55 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 445	hello, is anyone there, Are thes good spots to place my coral? My mushroom shrunk abit today, is that normal?

01/15/2007, 09:11 PM	#7
frederickk Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 2,712	Nice rockwork

01/15/2007, 09:13 PM	#8
Monkey55 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 445	Thanx dude

01/15/2007, 09:14 PM	#9
Monkey55 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 445	too late now, I'll see how it goes. What about polyps, could I add them in a few weeks?

01/15/2007, 09:24 PM	#11
Monkey55 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 445	yah, I am definently gonna let it settle for a month or so. I just wanted something in there to watch. haha. anyways in a month, how solid would it be to add white star polyps?

01/15/2007, 09:28 PM	#12
frederickk Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 2,712	If all your levels are ok then you might consider it.

01/15/2007, 09:30 PM	#13
Monkey55 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 445	cruel, apparently , the reason I have a few phocphates, nitrates, and nitrites is because I feed my 2 shrimp and 2 chromis a medium pinch of flake food a day. apparently it should only be every second day.

01/15/2007, 09:35 PM	#14
frederickk Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 2,712	I agree that every other day would be enough. If it were anthias that would have been different

01/16/2007, 08:16 PM	#15
Monkey55 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 445	I recall, being told that my tank is getting loaded too fast. And I should wait until I see coralline on the glass. Well I clean my glass all the time so i figured I hadn't seen coralline on the glass yet. But I was looking closer today and all the places I can't get at to clean are COVERED in it, as well as my magfloat, and the black plastic on the back wall. As well the two pieces of LR that i boiled (to kill aiptasia) are COVERED in specks of purple coralline now. I take it that this is a good sign, means my tank is really happy?

01/16/2007, 08:17 PM	#16
Monkey55 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 445	I agree, I have loaded it quickly, and I am gonna give it a month to settle. but it does seem to be healthy though.