Greetings! First SW tank.

[loyalrogue]

Well after years of doing FW tanks I finally decided to take the SW plunge with an extra 10g tank I had lying around.
(*Disclaimer* To anyone reading this that is thinking of starting a SW tank I would not recommend "rushing" this as I did unless you already have experience with aquariums and don't mind the expense of potentially losing all your livestock.)

I setup the tank with a biowheel, powerhead, a standard FT hood with an "Ultimate Reef" lamp, some LS, base rock, cured LR, Biozyme and a peppermint shrimp to start the cycle.
A few days later the LFS tested the water and said it was looking perfect so I added some hermits, a few more shrimp and a featherduster.
This is how it looked 2 weeks ago.



A few days later I added a yellow belly damsel and a little more cured LR.
A few more days and in went a TR clown and some more cured LR.
A couple of days later I introduced a cleaner shrimp, a pair of emeralds, a snail and the last of the cured LR.

I was having a little issue with the temperature creeping up a bit high (84ºF) so I swapped out the standard hood with a raised coralife fixture with a 28w 50/50 today.
Here's a shot from today.



One interesting thing is that the first batch of LR I added had a coral skeleton (bubble?) that was a little slimy.
I didn't think much of it figuring it would just add a bit to the cycle.
Here's what it looked like after the first few days.



Imagine my surprise when I happened to notice it today and it looked like this.



I can see that it suffered quite a bit of damage and broken "ribs" from being kicked around in the LR rubble bin, not to mention my manhandling it and breaking a bunch of the polyps when I placed it.
(To think, I almost took a brush to it to clean it before putting it in... lol)
So does anyone know what exactly this is and have any advice on how to nurse it back to health?
I wasn't planning on getting coral yet but it looks like so far it's pretty happy in my little tank... so in for a penny, in for a pound.

[lando]

Welcome to AquariumAdvice.com!!!
My first thought is if the tank ever really expereinced a hard cycle. With the new additional bioload I would expect you will see some detectable NH3 and NO3. Be prepared to do a water change with aged SW to combat toxic conditions in the tank. If you do already have test kits I suggest buying one for NH3, NO2, NO3 and Ph. Monitor levels daily for a couple of weeks.

As far as the coral goes...only time will tell. Your lighting is a bit on the low end to keep corals long-term. It may survive, it may not.

[DeathWarp]

Welcome to AA!

I will admit, I'm a little worried of the way things were sort of rushed into the tank without allowing a proper cycle time to take place. As lando said, I would quickly grab yourself a complete testing kit and keep a very close eye on conditions because they may start to turn for the worst. Getting some water ready is also an excellent idea, because you never know. Keep us updated

[ryguy]

I have the same worries as deathwarp and fully agree that you should keep VERY close eye on the water parameters for the next month or so. Stocking began much too early IMO.

[loyalrogue]

Thanks for all the advice and welcomes.

Didn't mean to give the impression that I was only relying on the LFS to test my water.
I test my own everyday with an AP Saltwater Master Liquid kit but since Big Al's tests for free I like to use them to double-check my own readings.
I also keep two tankfuls (20g) of storebought RO SW in reserve for any emergency water changes that might be needed.
Even tho the water tested perfectly at the 2 week mark I still did a 40-50% PWC just to be on the safe side.

Unfortunately after I set it up I didn't get to test it for the first few days because I was out of town so I didn't get to see if it experienced a hard cycle.
Supposedly, if you believe the marketing, by using the active bacteria to kickstart a tank it can cycle in as little as 24 hours... while I don't know if I believe the hype at least it will continue to help convert the NH3 and NO2 to NO3 in the near future.

Although I took the precaution (lazy shortcut?) of starting with 100% LS, cured LR and Biozyme, I'm still living the philosophy of "Hope for the best but expect the worst".
I'm under no illusions that I won't wake up to a dead tank tomorrow morning... and if I do it's just another learning experience before I get enough under my belt to set up the 55-90g tank.

Speaking of which, I did lose the featherduster yesterday.
I think I stressed him too much by moving him around.
He popped his top and then the shrimp wouldn't leave him alone.
I checked his tube today and he must've crawled off to die or be eaten.
Luckily Big Al's got in a fresh batch of some really big, pretty ones so I replaced him with one twice as nice.
We'll see if this one lasts more than two weeks...

Anyway, as for the water readings, they haven't fluctuated too much over the last two weeks.
They've remained at a consistant pH: 8.0, NH3: 0ppm, NO2: 0-.25ppm, and NO3: 20ppm.
I wanted to get the pH up just a little bit so I decided to add a little baking soda tonight.
Any advice on buffers, etc. to get and keep it up where it should be?

Thanks again for all the advice.
I've spent weeks just lurking here and the wealth of info is tremendous.

[DeathWarp]

I'm glad that you have things set up incase of an emergency, it atleast shows you are prepared for any occassion. I've always used the product called Reef Buffer for my pH.

[loyalrogue]

Originally Posted by DeathWarp

...it atleast shows you are prepared for any occassion.

It just shows that I read some of the advice on the forum while lurking...

Anyway, at what levels would you consider any NH3 and NO2 to call for an immediate PWC?
After a dose of baking soda last night (and a healthy shot of Kent Microvert for the bubble and the duster) my readings this afternoon are pH: 8.2, NH3: .25ppm, NO2: 0ppm, NO3: 20-40ppm.
I know what the ideal levels should be but I'm a little in the dark on what levels are considered toxic for a reef tank.

[lando]

Any detectable level of NH3 or NO2 is unacceptable and toxic to livestock. This does show that your tank has not yet cycled properly. PWC are needed immediately. Best bet is to remove all livestock and let your tank cycle completely.

[loyalrogue]

Thanks for the quick response, lando.

I did a 50% PWC and gave it a dose of Ammonia-lock to detoxify any remaining NH3.
Everything looks happy-happy right now.

I actually got to see the tentacles extended on the bubble today when I fed it.
Haha, the one thing in the tank that I seem to care the most about is the one thing I didn't pay for... go figure. lol

I'll give it another check in the morning to see if anything changes.