Mike's 29 gallon hqi build

[Mike-words]

Well I ran tests today and the results are as follows
Nh3 0
No2 0
No3 1
Ph 8.2
Sg 1.027
Temp 80

Better than dads 175 lol
Diatoms are gone I now have hair algea I did add some mysis the other day for an ammonia source only exoskeleton left should I add more.

[Mike-words]

Anyone? Im also making a DIY led moon light

[Mike-words]

Any one out there

[carey]

I'm out there. LOL

Would love to see the diy moonlighting. Do you have a canopy or are you adding to an existing fixture?

[Mike-words]

No canopy just a glass top with the hqi pendant about 8" off the top so it will be self contained and sit on the glass I might rig it around the hqi housing but I'm worried about the heat

[carey]

ahh I see. They make some nifty moonlighting setups now that you can just add on to any fixture, or so they say.

here are the links

Aquarium LED Lights: Current USA TrueLumen LED Lunar Lights

R2 Solutions DUAL Extreme Moonlight 4 3/8" LED Tube - AquaCave

I was thinking of trying to add them to my current extreme pro light, but not sure how they would stay on for the long term....

[Mike-words]

I'm a bit of an electronics nut lol. I buy each individual circuit component ( LEDs circuit boards resistors power supplies) then hook it together then install it. ( dad cringes when I take apart friends trains and install 200+$ computer boards for them lol) what are your electical DIY skills like since they aren't hard to do mine was about 5 min to make the mockup take a bit Longer for the Final version

[Mike-words]

Those don't look bad just I'm in Canada which screws me when it comes to online stores, plus I love DIY from the ground up. Is my tank cycled that fast ( a week) still have hair algae though I have cut back the photoperiod to a couple hours to get rid of that.

[carey]

Did you cycle withjust live rock or with a shrimp or ammonia? A week is kind a quick but not unheard of with quality live rock.

[Mike-words]

Live rock/ sand and so mysis

[carey]

have you done any water changes? Cause the nitrates are really low. Usually after a cycle they are higher as there was more ammonia and trites to convert. You may be cycled but might have a small bacteria base.

Did you spike at all on ammonia or trites at any time?

[Mike-words]

No pwc the highest I tested was about 1 nh3 and no2. No3 hit 5-10 then came down

[Mike-words]

I added more shrimp to see if I get a larger spike. And I have a few aptiasia to nuke so that will add more ammonia yet

[carey]

Cool. always better to double check before risking a fish. Try to get the ammonia level to at least 2ppm, I go for 4ppm myself. Once your there you have to watch for the nitrite spike, then after the trites go down to 0 the ammonia should be at 0 as well by the way, you will be cycled. It can take a few days for the trites to drop down though so be prepared.

[Mike-words]

Well with all the work I have been doing around the house and resposibilitys I have taken on m&d have decided to pay for the tank instead of 50/50 or so. Tests today were nh3 1. No2 .5. No3 2.5 now we see a bigger cycle forming. While it's cycling if some one would be so kind as to give me a lesson in corals only experience I have with them is aiptaisia ( very familiar with those . )

[carey]

I find corals to be alot easier to do than fish for some reason. LOL Just have to match the flow and light to a spot in your tank.

Check out Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums for their corals. They list the ease, requirements for light and flow and other useful information.

[Mike-words]

I was thinking of things to look for when at the lfs like when you look for a new fish you look for ich and other disease. Any thing in that respect.

[carey]

You dont't want corals with any kind of goo present on them, you want them to be open and flowing if thats what they do. It's kinda like fish, you can tell something is off with a bad coral. Also look for sharp edges if it's a frag, some people frag and do a poor job of it. LOL

[Mike-words]

Then dip in coral rx

[Mike-words]

Tests form last night nh3 0 no2 0 no3 2.5
I added shrimp wed and a few hours before I ran the above tests