Got my testkit, thermometer, and mag float today.

[zacdl]

I got a Seachem Marine Basic test kit, one of those stick on thermometers, and a mag float for the 30 gallon size today in the mail from Drs Foster Smith. The sand I ordered will be here tomorrow (They shipped seperate boxes) I got Aragamax 30 pounds.

That candy thermometer ive been using temperarily I guess was wrong, This new thermometer shows it about 5 degrees lower. I tweaked it a bit to get it up to 78.

 

[malkore]

You'll probably need another 30lbs of sand to get a proper depth.

 

[zacdl]

Actually I used that formula to calculate the depth out.
Being it is a hex, it will be slightly deeper, but when I was looking at 25 lbs, it would be right at 2" deep. Plus a little more since it is hex and not square. I am not getting 30 lbs, so it will be even more yet. I dont think I want a DSB.

 

[zacdl]

OK I tested my water.
Day 1- Most everything at 0. SG is 1.024, PH 8.4, Alkalinity 8meq/L

Does that look fine so far?

 

[Phyl]

Looks like your alk is borderline low. You want to shoot between 9 & 11. Is your tank already cycled? If no then don't worry about the ca/alk numbers until your other parameters start to move. I'd test ammo until you started to get a reading and then test ammo & trite until ammo 0s out and then test trite and trate until trite zeros out. Occassionally doing all three is ok but no point in wasting kit on cycle time. You really just want to know when the spikes happen to ensure that they do happen. Once your tank has been cycled for 2w and you're ready to add fish then test for pH and Alk so that you can make sure your system is ready for fish (though a large water change to clear the tank of trates is customary and will probably reset your pH/Alk/Ca balance).

Expect a clouding to occur while the ammo eating bacteria build and then expect a diatom bloom towards the end of your cycle. Once the diatoms pass you're usually pretty well through the cycle.

Good luck!

 

[zacdl]

NO i havent even started it (tomorrow i will)

 

[midiman]

Expect a clouding to occur while the ammo eating bacteria build and then expect a diatom bloom towards the end of your cycle. Once the diatoms pass you're usually pretty well through the cycle.

Well said. I had two diatom blooms. Snails and hermits help, but it seems to have burned out, although there is still s bit on the sand in spots.

 

[zacdl]

I am planning on one of the first things I am doing is getting one of those algea attack packs before getting a lot of other things.

 

[midiman]

I am planning on one of the first things I am doing is getting one of those algea attack packs before getting a lot of other things.

Don't forget that they need algae to eat. If you get too many before you have algae, they'll starve if you don't feed them. I added my first few snails and hermits a few at a time from the LFS, then I added a group of them onto an order for other items (corals).