New Salt Set Up

[Pisces3473]

Yeah, a mini reef, honestly the big rock on the right is the one I don't like but it's got a lot of color. The other 4 are very textured and the big piece, sitting on the left, is like swiss cheese. The Yellow Damsel swims through it. Speaking of Damsels they finally started swimming around not hiding all the time. I guess I've found the correct arrangement... I've ordered the new light for the tank and will hang it at the end of March when I return from vacation.

Also, very excited about starting to add corals at that time. The light on there is a marineland but Mr.X said it will not work for corals so I ordered a TaoTronics Dimmable. I also ordered another Hydor Nano 240 so I'll have mad flow going in the tank. I'm excited but being patient, nothing new until after March.

Thanks for the pointers about the rock!

 

[Pisces3473]

Just journaling my parameters,

Hydro Readings 1.024 SG 32 ppt (1.025-1.026 is ideal for Reef)
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm
Nitrite: 0.0
Nitrate: 5-10 ppm
PH: 8.2 (Ideal)
Calcium: Still off the charts (high)
KH: 9 Drops - 161.1 (between 8-12 is Ocean Water)
Phosphate: 0.0 ppm

After getting to the tank and staring for long enough the Yellow Damsel finally showed itself and I was able to get a good look at it. Gills are normal and breathing seems fine as well. I think the most stress these fish are getting is from my almost daily aquascaping. I'm pretty happy with how it looks now, but who know I'll probably have some vision when I wake up tomorrow and rescape it again...

 

[Pisces3473]

New Light Mount Suggestions?

Got my other Hydor 240 put in this morning. The water is really moving now and both fish are out and about. I'm still happy with the new LR placement and am going to leave as is. I dropped the temp about a degree and the tank is holding steady at 78. My new light is coming today and I'll have to think of a way to use is, I'm not sure if I want to hang it (I've got a drop ceiling in my office), I've got an old hood from this tank I may gut and take a dremmel to it, and finally, I'm considering getting a floor plant hanger something like you'd use for a fern outside. Anybody have any suggestions on what I might do for the new light coming in? It's a TaoTronics Dimmable, like Mr.X uses.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Some gardening shops sell nice sturdy J-style plant hangers for those goofy upside down tomato pots. Those can be used for hanging lights. Mike Peletta used them to hang his LEDs on a tank, though he made a full rack system. There's a YouTube video that shows his setup. Other people have used L-shaped shelve brackets.

 

[Easyflip]

Tank looks great, I like the aquascape! Going to get my rock and sand this weekend, a little nervous but excited. Post a pic when you get the new light!

 

[Pisces3473]

New Light Installed

Alright guys here it is. I decided after looking online and considering my options to go with the plant hanger idea. Originally I was thinking a floor stand, but they only had the ones that went into the ground like a stake, so I got the wall mount instead. I use a stud finder and located the middle of a 2x4 to mount the hook. I opted for a fancy one. What the hell! Right...? I absolutely love the light and now waiting to add corals is going to be even more difficult. Anyhow I measure the length of the wires and then put the hook on the wall so the lights are between 7 & 10 inches above the water. These lights are awesome the dimmer feature is easy to use and the 3 cooling fans are absolutely silent. I love this light, now all I have to do is be patient.

Here's some pics:

 

[Pisces3473]

After the light

The fish are definitely more active now. I adjusted the lights down cause my yellow tail was acting fishy... Seriously, I did.

 

[Easyflip]

Looks great! Cool wallpaper : )

 

[Pisces3473]

Looks great! Cool wallpaper : )

Yeah, it was already here and one of the reasons I picked this one. I'm at an executive office building. They wanted to paint over the wallpaper so I figured a couple of screws wouldn't matter. Two weeks and here's what the tanks showing me.

 

[Easyflip]

Still a little ammonia despite 0 nitrites and nitrates. I've read no fish til 0 ammonia. More time or add nitrifying bacteria. Even then clean up crew first. Take it slow and let cycle complete, maybe weeks. Diatoms seem to common near the end of cycle. Keep in mind I'm a newbie : )

 

[Pisces3473]

Still a little ammonia despite 0 nitrites and nitrates. I've read no fish til 0 ammonia. More time or add nitrifying bacteria. Even then clean up crew first. Take it slow and let cycle complete, maybe weeks. Diatoms seem to common near the end of cycle. Keep in mind I'm a newbie : )

Actually the Ammonia has picked up a bit so I'm using more startup to help the tank along. The current residents seem ok, and I keep a pretty close eye on things so we'll see how this goes. I'm hoping the Am, will be lower when I take readings later today.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

It can often take weeks for a new tank to cycle. You'll want to wait until the ammonia completely converts to nitrite then nitrate, then do enough water changes to drop the nitrate close to zero before adding livestock. Most people either don't run the lights or run them very very low while the tank is cycling. At this point, lights will only grow algae. Being patient will pay off at every stage in a reef tank. It's tough, but worth it in the end.

 

[Pisces3473]

It can often take weeks for a new tank to cycle. You'll want to wait until the ammonia completely converts to nitrite then nitrate, then do enough water changes to drop the nitrate close to zero before adding livestock. Most people either don't run the lights or run them very very low while the tank is cycling. At this point, lights will only grow algae. Being patient will pay off at every stage in a reef tank. It's tough, but worth it in the end.

I'm being patient, not planning any changes until after March, another month and that'll be close to 8 weeks for the tank. The lfs said I shouldn't worry casue I was using their water and LR. Also, that the tank would only mini cycle or not at all. I've been adding startup with the necessary organisms, I tried adding a different one today but basically the same thing and will do the readings in a few hours. There's a part of me that wants to see an Ammonia spike off the charts and a part that hopes it drops to zero with a low Nitrite reading. At least I'd know somethings happening. The lfs told me to add a couple Damsel and some hermits. All are well and have been. We'll see soon enough... I appreciate the words of wisdom Coralline!

 

[CorallineAlgae]

No problem. That's a solid plan. Using damsels is a little old school but it works. The trouble is usually catching those fast little monsters after the cycle. It can be frustrating. -_-'

 

[Pisces3473]

I here ya, it's only a 10g and I'll starve them for a couple of days then, "PRESTO!!" Food and a net...

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Oh yeah, in a 10 it should be a piece of cake, competitively speaking. I once had to dismantle a 30 gallon with 60 pounds of live rock just to get a red-lipped blenny. He was the meanest fish I've ever had by far. That thing would bite my clown and drag it INTO his rock hole then whip it half to death! Talk about ornery.

 

[Pisces3473]

Is that what I think it is?

As I was staring into my huge 10 gallon reef, fantasizing about scuba diving, I saw what I think is a starfish. Can anybody please identify this inhabitant I've found? And I have seen him move, although I've got a lot of flow in my tank.

 

[Easyflip]

Looks like a brittle star, they're good sand sifters, cool!

 

[Pisces3473]

That's what I thought too! STOKED!!!

Update to the Starfish. It's actually a coral star and I got another one with some more rock I picked up tonight. See next post

 

[Pisces3473]

I went to the lfs today. I just wasn't happy with the amount of rock in my tank, I knew I needed to add more. I brought some pictures to show the owners, they're both very cool, and told what I was thinking about. I picked up another 3.7 lbs tonight and added it to the tank. It's a good thing I didn't top up earlier . I talked to him about my parameters and lights, what dietary needs are for the different SPS and LPS. He suggested a good starter would be some Zoa's so I went with those. I picked up a nice multi-colored piece to go with the new rock. I went back up to the office and put it all together, a bit quick cause I had to get home with dinner. Any how here's a pic of the tank and my new inhabitant. And as a bonus, as my 4 year old is putting a small piece of rubble in drops the piece and says there's a starfish on it! BONUS! Now I got at least two coral stars in the tank. The Zoa's really started to open up when I put on the blue's but I had to bail so I'll get better pics later on. Enjoy!