nOObs first post

[Mopieo]

Hi everyone, im Mopieo aka. mope2 aka. the origional dundada. aka. rudeboi1 aka. sean desman. I look forward to chating it up with you all about this beautifull hobby. Ive always been a fan of closed microsystems and when i saw my friends mini reef I was hooked. I have a few ?s like any noob and hopefully some vets here can help me out. first ill break things down:

I started my 40gal. (diamond shaped) tank 1month ago. I immediatley added 22lbs of cured live rock and an inch of coarse substrate. I switched my ph sponge with my friends whos had his tank for a year and I added a cycle booster as well as a fresh shrip from the seafood store to get things rolling asap. I watched my ammonia level spike to 3.5 and my N02 hit 0.8 before falling back into place. I then added 1 yellow tailed damsel and today I threw in 3snails a emerald crab and 2 hermit crabs. I was at first hit with a huge bloom of diatoms right before adding the damsel, wich i heard was common. There was also a random break out of various algaes wich are still slowly spreading.
my temp is at 80
i have 100watts of spiral floresent lighting (temporary untill i get a bulb for my 400watt MH balast)
the ph has been stuck between 7.7 and 7.9 so ive been leaving the lid open for more air exchange.
my salt content is right on, and i have lots of water movement.
now for the ?s

1. my damsel has been gasping since i put him in but hes eating just fine, what could be the cause of this? could it be my ph cause everything else is right on.

2. Are the spiral Cfs doing anything at all? or am i just waisting power. ive cut back on the time the lights on to discurage the algae growth.

3. Ive noticed I have 5 or more worms in my tank. the half pink half grey type. I know they arnt threatening but is this too many? 2 of them are real big and i dont like them. Are there any fish that would call them dinner?

4. Theres also a bunch of small little bugs running around my liverocks and substrate, they appear to have 6 legs and 2 short tenticals. Im sure they arnt harmfull but they are multiplying, i dont want a tank full of bugs. Is there anyway i can control these guys, what would eat these things?

5. The colour on my live rock is pretty pale. What are the best conditions to get it looking vibrant with purples and pinks the fastest? also, what other things can i do to get my tank up to par.

6. is there a natural additive that would help raise my ph? or should i just wait it out?


sorry for so many questions, i have read the FAQs and done a number of searches but havnt found what im looking for. any advice and extra tips would be greatly appreciated. thanks for taking the time to read about my tank and its problems, look forward to talking to some of the members on this amazing board.

 

[flame82]

you can fix the ph probably in one day with some reef buffer from the lfs. the damsel not sure but i know if you wanted you could lower the temp a few and still be reef safe. the light i would just cutt like you said it will slow the alage and you dont have any corals so. coraline needs calcium and i some blue light. and the worms are probably bristle worms nothing to worry about hope that helps

 

[Mopieo]

thanks for the feedback
anyone else?
bumpetybumpbump

 

[jackdp]

Have you done any water changes since cycling the tank? A water change will help remove the byproducts of cycling which could be keeping your pH low. A water change will also bring some higher pH freshly buffered water into the equation. The "bugs" are copepods/isopods etc. they are a good sign. There are things out there that eat them but I would just let them be, after awhile you won't even notice them. Most worms are harmless detrivores that can help keep the substrate and rocks clean of debris. As to the gasping, the pH isn't terribly low so I doubt that is the cause. Have you checked for nitrates? After the first cycle your tank will have a build up of nitrates that, unless you do a water change, will stay. And if you started with untreated tap water you could've had nitrates from the get go. Moderately high nitrates aren't terribly harmful to fish but without testing you never know. I would be sure to test for phosphates, nitrates, pH, calcium, alkalinity and specific gravity. Post those results to get some more detailed help for your fish.