Gloomisboy
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Alright so in the beginning of July I started my Fish and Live Rock saltwater tank. A 46 gal bow front.
On 7/06/10 - 80lbs of live sand went in / 40 lb of regular Caribsea topped with 40lb of live aragonite “pink fiji” color.
Ocean Water went in along with two Koralia evolution power heads and a HOB magnum 250.
The set up ran like this until 7/20/10 due to a delay of my Live Rock..
On 7/20/10 – 50 lbs of Live Rock – Fiji Premium went in. The rock was scrubbed well and cleaned in salt water to get rid of the majority of dead matter.
On 7/26/10 the first water test was done ( mind you I am using the strips – I know I shouldn’t but they had already been bought – buying a new test kit soon).
Ammonia : 0
Nitrate: 20
Nitrite: 1.0
Alk / buffer: 240 (don’t really know what this is ?? but its in the safe zone per the legend)
Ph: 8.0
Sg: 1.024
O.k so on 7/27/10 I did my first rookie mistake….
The LFS guy told me that the LR was cured but when I got I assumed that it wasn’t so I read up on it and followed some directions on curing live rock in your “new tank” which stated to do a 50% water change after the first week…..so I did…
I then went to another LFS that was recommended to me by a colleague. That guy told me that I should not have done a water change because it messed with my tanks cycle and that I just set my cycle back a week… this guy recommend I use nitromax marine to help in the cycling. Also recommended Kent purple Tech to spark up the growth of coralline algae on my LR…
Observation: I have been noticing a fungus looking growth growing on the dead coralline algae that was not scrubbed off initially / not much but it’s everywhere there is dead coralline. Is this normal???? Is this something I should worry about. Will post picture of the growth once I get home.
So on 8/4/10 I did my latest water test.
Ammonia : 0
Nitrate: 20
Nitrite: 0.5
Alk/ buffer: 240
Ph: 8.0
Sg: 1.024
Also I have been topping of with Distilled Water…I don’t know if this is a major no no but it’s been done…will be doing it with RO/DI water from now on since the new LFS sells it…
So the question is…I am on the right track???? Is there anything I shouldn’t be doing???? Or should not be doing???? Is it just a waiting game until I zero out on the nitrite???? Is Purple tech ok to dose????? Comments, suggestions, advice are more than welcomed…
Here are a couple of pics thus far…will be adding a H.O.B remora for skimming…
On 7/06/10 - 80lbs of live sand went in / 40 lb of regular Caribsea topped with 40lb of live aragonite “pink fiji” color.
Ocean Water went in along with two Koralia evolution power heads and a HOB magnum 250.
The set up ran like this until 7/20/10 due to a delay of my Live Rock..
On 7/20/10 – 50 lbs of Live Rock – Fiji Premium went in. The rock was scrubbed well and cleaned in salt water to get rid of the majority of dead matter.
On 7/26/10 the first water test was done ( mind you I am using the strips – I know I shouldn’t but they had already been bought – buying a new test kit soon).
Ammonia : 0
Nitrate: 20
Nitrite: 1.0
Alk / buffer: 240 (don’t really know what this is ?? but its in the safe zone per the legend)
Ph: 8.0
Sg: 1.024
O.k so on 7/27/10 I did my first rookie mistake….
The LFS guy told me that the LR was cured but when I got I assumed that it wasn’t so I read up on it and followed some directions on curing live rock in your “new tank” which stated to do a 50% water change after the first week…..so I did…
I then went to another LFS that was recommended to me by a colleague. That guy told me that I should not have done a water change because it messed with my tanks cycle and that I just set my cycle back a week… this guy recommend I use nitromax marine to help in the cycling. Also recommended Kent purple Tech to spark up the growth of coralline algae on my LR…
Observation: I have been noticing a fungus looking growth growing on the dead coralline algae that was not scrubbed off initially / not much but it’s everywhere there is dead coralline. Is this normal???? Is this something I should worry about. Will post picture of the growth once I get home.
So on 8/4/10 I did my latest water test.
Ammonia : 0
Nitrate: 20
Nitrite: 0.5
Alk/ buffer: 240
Ph: 8.0
Sg: 1.024
Also I have been topping of with Distilled Water…I don’t know if this is a major no no but it’s been done…will be doing it with RO/DI water from now on since the new LFS sells it…
So the question is…I am on the right track???? Is there anything I shouldn’t be doing???? Or should not be doing???? Is it just a waiting game until I zero out on the nitrite???? Is Purple tech ok to dose????? Comments, suggestions, advice are more than welcomed…
Here are a couple of pics thus far…will be adding a H.O.B remora for skimming…