OK. Aimed the powerhead nozzle towards the surface of the water for better/more surface agitation. Man, I thought the same thing yesterday when I put that Rio50 in the tank. I was, like, - ugh. That label is hideous. I knew I should've removed it. But then I started aquascaping and got distracted. Haha. I'll have to get it out of there.

When I'm changing the filter floss... should I actually shut off the AC70? Or just yank out the filter floss? I would think the sediment and other crap should be intertwined in the filter floss... in a perfect world, I guess.

Aiming the powerhead toward the surface definitely helped. I'm looking at the pico right now and the water looks sweet. The little waves are cool. Haha.

Thanks, you guys.

you dont haveta shut off the AC

Yeah, I figured as much. I removed the filter floss I had in there and just shoved in a bunch of new stuff. There was some sediment on the old filter floss when I removed it. It wasn't terribly bad... but it was there.

I checked out my tank last night when all the lights had been off for a little while. I saw a Bristle Worm approx. 1-inch long or so crawling around on one of my rocks. He was a bit too small for a photograph. But he was red in coloring and looked like a little centipede... so I'm assuming it was a bristle worm of some kind.

Yep, bristle worm. I have a little pinkish red one in my tank too! Yay for hitchhickers!

Hitchhikers already! That's a good sign.

fantastic little tank you've got there. Great to see another VW fan

Thanks!!

Came home from work tonight and tested my water just for the heck of it. You guys be the judge.

My temp at the moment is 79.3F
It will dip down to approx. 78.6F in the middle of the night.
During the day, it seems to peak at approx. 80.4F
My apartment stays relatively cool for the most part, even during the worst summer months.

I have an API Saltwater Master Test Kit... so after checking out the little color cards that come with the test kit, here's what I can gather:

My pH is at 8.0
My ammonia level is at 0.
My nitrite level is at 0.
My nitrate level is at 20.

I'm using Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt mix and my salinity is at 1.024

The tank was born a mere four days ago.

Is my tank near the end of the cycle due to the live rock I obtained from my LFS? I confirmed with the gentleman who owns the LFS again this evening over the phone that the Bali live rock has been in the tank in his store for the better part of 5-6 weeks since his last shipment.

My intentions are to do a water change this weekend and change the filter floss in the back of my AC70.

What are your thoughts?

hmmm, my thoughts are in another world right now but your thread is going good, you have so much to go through ahead. It has only begun. lol

Thanks. I think?

your welcome just kidding

lol

It seems too soon for your cycle to be up but it's possible. Check your levels again tomorrow and if it's the same or if nitrate is still high, do a 20% water change. Check regularly after that (like every other day or so) to see where your nitrates are at. If your levels are at zero then your cycle is done for the most part but you could get another spike especially when diatoms start to show up so don't get any corals just yet. Continue with regular maintenance and test your levels. Even if your tank cycles sooner than expected I would still recommend waiting a whole month before adding anything. But so far everything sounds good.

Sounds good! I think I'd be too leery of going out and spending cash on some corals only to have them die on me. It doesn't seem possible that my cycle could have even begun... much less finished? I've not seen any algae in my tank at all except for the little specks of coralline on the rocks. Other than that... no diatoms or anything. I'm definitely not complaining but the only spike I saw last night on my test kit was the nitrate.

I'll plan on doing a water change and keep you guys posted.

Looks really good. I'm going to have to start a picotope. Those things are awesome.

Thanks!! I really appreciate that...

...been a few days since I posted some pics and made a real update so here goes:

This Saturday (tomorrow) will mark the one-week anniversary that my pico has been up and cycling. Even within the last six days or so, my girlfriend and I have noticed changes in the tank... and more specifically, with our pet rocks.

Almost overnight, it seems like we may be getting some algae. Nothing extravagant or unruly... but you can clearly see in the photos below that the rocks are more brown in color. I've been leaving the lights on for approx. nine hours daily. And in lieu of the brown growing all over the rocks, I have noticed some other growth, as well. The coralline algae does seem to be getting more prolific throughout the tank... or at the very least, growing back where it once used to be.

Certain sections of the rock on the far left are very purple and deep red. There are a few small purple things on the rock (eloquent, I know)... they almost appear to be very small polyps of some kind? It sppears "squishy" for lack of better terms... so I don't think it is coralline, but perhaps it is.

See photos below.

My intent this evening after work is to go to the LFS and buy more RO/DI water. I'm going to deem Saturdays as "My Pico Maintenance Day" and do a 20% water change tomorrow. Probably a little more than 0.5 gallons of water as best as I can tell. I'll check the water parameters shortly thereafter and see how I'm doing after that. I'm under the impression that I may not have had as large of a cycle as I was initially anticipating based on the live rock I purchased. Not that I think it is "super duper premium uber-quality" live rock... but because, it was sitting in a large tank being blasted by several powerheads for the last 5-6 weeks at the LFS I purchased it from. But also, I do like the quality of my live rock. It's amazing the little things you notice everyday. It seems between my girlfriend and I... we notice something new every day.

Also, I really don't think the evaporation rate on my pico is that big of a deal. In the grand scheme of things, I'm not jet-setting out of the country for months at a time. And if I wanted a hobby that was completely self-sufficient, I certainly wouldn't have purchased or planned on setting up a mere 3-gal. reef tank. If you want a pet that is self-sufficient, go buy a cat.

I probably had two gallons of water remaining in my 7-gal. blue jug as of last week Saturday when I set the pico up. I've been topping off with fresh RO/DI water since then. And I know I still have at least 0.5 gallons left. Maybe a tad more but I doubt much more... at any rate, dumping a cup or two of fresh RO/DI water in the tank when I come home from work at night isn't that big of an ordeal to me. Again, if it were... I wouldn't have even begun this project.

Enough with the blabber. Photos?? ...you bet.

*most of these are with the tank lights off*


* in the center of this photo, you'll see that piece of purple whateveryouwannacallit. I've no idea what it is. But it is definitely growing. It looks like a polyp of some sort but I could be wrong. But again, it is growing at an alarming rate! *


* here is another shot of it from a different point of view. It's in the upper/center portion of this photo. See those little "things" that sort of stick out. Almost like tentacles? ...it's very bizarre. *


* more photos of our rocks turning brown. lovely. one other thing I wanted to point out... look over in the cave on the far left hand side of this photo. See that weird gray looking thing?? ...almost looks like a starfish with a couple of legs propped up inside of that little hole? ...that thing moves, too. I don't know what it is. But it is definitely "alive". I'm scared. *


* I suppose you could call this my FTS. I just call it "brown rocks". *


* ...and finally, here's a photo with the lights on. *

Those rocks are browning out really well and yes, it's highly possible that you had a short cycle. Cycling is such an exciting process because you never know what's gonna crop up in your tank. The red squishy things you're talking about are forminiferans, think of them as amoebas with a calcareous armor. They're completely harmless and are a good indication that all is well in your tank.

Your thread has been a huge help to me as i just got my pico started last night. With Fab's help i modified an AC70 and just got it running this morning... i orignally was using the stock filter over night but now that i have the AC70 going there’s some pretty substantial flow happening. I hope not too much... the thing is also making quite the noise, is that norma, any tips on things i could try to minimize the noisel? Also, conerning the flow – I clipped that tab inside the filter but I don’t think that is enough, I might have to trim down those impeller blades.

Curious if you trimmed your blades down at all? But again, this thread has been a huge help... looking forward to Fab's next post on cycling because i'm not sure what i should be doing next?

Glad to hear things are doing well in my tank. I'm actually looking forward to buying water tonight. It must be some kinda sickness I'm developing. LMAO!!




Glad to hear you're taggin' along!!

I'm trying to payn it forward. I've had a lot of help from Fab and everyone else who has chimed in on my thread. So really, if my thread has been of help... it's because I've had a lot of help myself. But I really appreciate the kind words. Thanks!!

To answer your question, no... I didn't trim the impeller at all. I "turned" the intake tube over to the right as far as it will go to reduce flow through the AC70... but combined with that and the Rio 50 in the tank, it seems fine to me. Granted, I don't have any livestock right now... but at least there's no dead spots in my tank.

I have been reading your thread but have not repied since the begining. I saw El Fab was keeping track and that is about as good as it gets.
Congradulations on the water, sand, very nice rock and hitchickers. Out side of pods I did not get any hitchers on my pico rock. I did get lucky with some star fish finding their way in there when I got a couple of my corals. Isn't amazing how much time you can sit there looking at rock? Glad thing are going so well for you.

Hmm sounds like you had a really soft cycle... awesome, that means most (if not all) of your hitchikers will make the first couple weeks in the tank. Good to hear! ...tagging along...

Your tank is looking good. At least you have a couple hitchhikers, I can't seem to find any in mine.

The noisy AC 70 is normal- I couldn't stand it at first, but after about 2 weeks mine has quieted down, i suppose they have to break in a bit... I have a 5g minibow and i did dremel down the impeller blades by about 2 mm each.. it helped ALOT with the extreme flow... I could probably even trim them down a bit more if i wanted but i'll see how the corals like it. if you dont wanna mess with the impeller itself you could always go to your lfs and get a smaller impeller, say for a AC 50, which will cut back on the flow as well.


PSYS, I am sooooooooooo jealous of your LR!!! I have NO hitchhikers Your pico really makes me want a picotope- and I'm not even done with the minibow!!! lol

It's normal for a brand new AC filter to be noisy but it should quiet down once it's broken in. Same goes for the flow. When brand new, the flow will blow the sand out of the water but over time, and once it's filled with stuff (chaeto, filter floss, carbon, etc.) it will slow down and will get bogged down a lot over time.

Thanks for the input on the AC70 and i must say, you guys are exactly right. it's already quiet and running good. I'm having trouble with my temp because of my tiny heater, 10W, but i'll probably grab a new one this weekend. my temp now is at 71 and only going up .5 degrees every 4 hours, probably not good.

not to take over Psys thread here, but i also didn't know to use RO water, i wasn't sure what that was until i researched a little more... hope i'm still okay using spring water with instant ocean sea salt but i won't know until i do a reading on my water. this is all new to me but i can't get enough of looking at the live rocks and day dreaming of whats to come. as soon as i find my camera battery i'll start a thread but reading along to Psys has been a blast.

Still waiting on Fab's cycling post, no pressure! thanks again for all the useful info here.

Thanks a lot to everyone for all the replies. I really appreciate it.

I'm going to test my water parameters today after doing the water change. I noticed this morning that this green algae practically popped up on the rock on the far right hand side overnight. I'm gonna blast the crap out of the rocks. I definitely need a CUC!

Not sure what kind of algae it is... it looks a little longer in some areas than others. It may just be part of the cycle that occurred. I know I've got enough flow in the tank so I don't think that could be the issue... aside from the fact that the Rio 50 is aimed more towards the water surface than anywhere else. But still, I'm sure there's adequate flow.

See?

That tank is lookin' good! Nice job.

Thanks a lot!! I really appreciate it...

Man, the weather here sucks today!! It has been snowing since I got up earlier this morning and STILL snowing. I am SO sick of winter.

Really i love winter but maybe its just cause i live in florida arent u jealous.

YES! I am jealous at the moment... hahaha. sheeesh. I think we were supposed to get 2-3 inches is what I heard last night. But it's like a fricken white out right now. Big, huge flakes coming down like rain. There's probably five inches of accumulation right now.

Not that you'd have any idea what I'm talking about...

Heh just because i live in florida dosent mean im afraid of the cold it was 40 degrees here a couple of weeks ago i only wore shorts and a light jacket also i have relatives that live up north so i know what snow looks like. Although it might have been my grand parents dandreph JKJKJK:P

eeew.



hahahahaha.

We got dumped on here too. Gotta love the midwest.

I don't know how you people do it out there. Lately it's been like 50 degrees out here in Vegas and I can't stand it. We should have warmed up by now.

Scott, all that stuff on your rock looks like it could be the beginnings of hair algae. Have you tested to see where your levels are at? If your nitrate is down you'll be able to add a CUC to start munching on that stuff. A couple of snails and a couple of hermits should do the trick unless you already have something in mind.

Thanks for the reply, Fab...

Here's what I did thus far over the weekend:

I did a water change that was approx. 0.5 gallons. I went and got RO/DI water from my LFS and filled up my 7-gal. blue jug. This will probably be a weekend errand I'll run every Friday night or Saturday morning. Honestly, not that big of a deal to me since my LFS is less than three miles from our apartment. Plus, I get to scope out the new goodies.

So... did a water change that was approx. 0.5 gallons. Tested my water earlier this morning and as a result of the water change, lowered my nitrates to the lowest possible rate I think they can be. pH is still holding steady at 8.0 and my salinity is now at 1.026. I wanted to get it increased a little so I figured out a ratio of how much more salt I'd need... and I added that to my water change.

I went back out to my LFS earlier today and picked up my CUC (Clean Up Crew). I am a little worried or nervous about the rock in my tank on the far right hand side. I'd agree it does look a little like hair algae of some sort. Not sure if it's something I should be concerned about since it isn't completely out of control and appears to be isolate to that one rock. Obviously, it isn't nearly that long yet either.

So here's what I got for a CUC right now:

• (2) Red Legged Hermit Crabs
• (1) Margarita Snail
• (1) BumbleBee Snail
• (1) Astrea Snail
• (2) Nassarius Snails

They all seem to be doing fine. The hermit crabs haven't left the rock on the far right and appear to be munching on the algae as we speak. The Margarita Snail isn't one I've ever seen in person but he's actually quite interesting. He's all black in color and can definitely move. Very weird antennae of some sort and he seems like a mover and a shaker. The Bumble Bee Snail is another one that can clip along at a pretty good pace... for a snail. They all have their own little duties and although it seems like an aggressive CUC for a 3-gal. tank... I'm hoping I can rest easy that my rock, sand and overall tank will remain clean and sparkly.

Here's some photo of the crew I acquired:

* Margarita Snail *


* Hermit Crabs grazing... *


* Nassarius Snails buried in substrate... Margarita Snail, in background *


* BumbleBee Snail and Astrea Snail *


* ...another shot of the Margarita Snail *


* Close-Up of the crappy algae that appears to be growing by the second... *


* The obligatory FTS *


* ...and another FTS from a different angle *

Nice crew! I thought about picking up some nass snails my self but I have the thin sand substrate so I'm not sure if I need them or not since the current stirs it up every once in awhile.

Good looking clean up crew - hope they do their job

nice clean up crew
im planning to get mine next week since i barely have any algea in my tank yet
let me know how they do for you

Lookin' good!! Nice CUC. very intense. I'm sure they'll wipe out the algea. I only have two snails and one crab and they keep my tank so clean, I haven't had to scrub anything (even under the filter overhang no idea how they get under there)... I'm thinking about getting a nass snail too, let me know how yours does. I need a burrowing invert.

Your scaping is really nice, you're going to have good placement for your corals!! yay!! Plus, you also have room for a fish, woot!

taggin' along

Got up this morning and the rock on the far right hand side with the unsightly algae already looks better. They must've been busy. The hermits stayed there most of the day and through the night. Now everyone is kind of scattered about the tank.

Next weekend... I plan on doing my standard tank maintenance. Water change. Blasting the rock with my turkey baster. Mixing up additional saltwater. Cleaning the glass. Changing the filter floss. Continuing to check water parameters to ensure everything remains in check.

Since I don't have a fish/corals, etc, etc... the only detritus in the substrate is the crap I blow off the rock. I don't want the Nassarius Snails to starve... but I want my substrate to remain sifted and as clean as possible. It's kind of a fine line. I may end up throwing in some food so these guys come out and eat. I don't know if it's necessary or not... but I don't want anyone to starve.

Next weekend... I'd like to find the Coralife Power Center but may need to order it online. This will tailor the lighting schedule to my needs. I also purchased a handful of chaeto from NeedReefFunds. I only have one source of light... so I'm going to shove the chaeto in the far right hand corner of the display tank until I have another light source to be able to put it in my AC70. I don't want the chaeto to die... but I definitely want to reap the benefits of having macroalgae remove any excess nutrients, etc, etc. My LFS also doesn't carry Chemi-Pure Elite but he special ordered it for me yesterday and he said I'd have it by next weekend when I do my tank maintenance. So I'll have Chemi-Pure Elite in the tank next weekend, too. I think the water looks great... but I still don't think I have that "polished" crystal, clear look that I've seen in some photographs.

I don't know if it's too soon... but I'd like to venture out to Reefs Aquariums & Pet Emporium in Green Bay, WI. They're one of the better LFS stores around here but it's a 40-min. drive or so from where I live in Oshkosh. I'd like to be able to add a small frag of mushrooms or zoas. Something that will hopefully catch my eye.

I'll add more photos for the heck of it. Because what's a post without photos. Even if they are random.

* random photo 'cuz I miss summertime. *

Check out inTank (one of NRs sponsors) for some LEDs for the Fuge, I got a set for mine and I love em- fit inside perfectly and they only cost like $20 after shipping!

Perfect! Thanks a lot for the info... I know I've seen those underwater lights referenced somewhere.

Welcome

OK. Remember that right on the far right hand side of my tank that was beginning to get covered in algae? It looked like it may have been the start of GHA. Remember? Remember how it was beginning to sway in the flow of the water??

OK. Here's the rock before I added my CUC at the end of my cycle:



And here's the same rock *after* I added my CUC. Pay no attention to the large Margarita Snail on that same rock. He's not stopped eating since I put him in.



Pretty cool, huh? I was actually a little concerned that my CUC would be running out of food. So I stopped at my LFS after work tonight and purchased a pack of frozen food. Looks like it's a mixture of baby brine shrimp and seaweed and a bunch of other nutritious stuff. It says it's for all omnivores and herbivores... so I can assume they will like it. I'm gonna put, like, half a cube in the tank and break it up tonight.

Then I'm going to do a water change tomorrow... and continue to do water changes every Saturday, as well.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Lookin' good!

I personally like to melt the cubes before I put them in the tank- just take a little cup o water out of your tank and swish the cube in it until it melts, then pour away... I also use syringes (like the ones you use for baby birds) to spot feed... (my discus will actually come up and eat from the syringe )

Thanks.

I did just that! I melted a cube in some tank water and then shot it in the tank with my turkey baster. The Nassarius Snails came out of nowhere and started chowing down. It was interesting to watch... but I hated that it made my tank look like poo. Bleh. I'm going to do a water change tonight when I get home.

watchout , dont start overfeeding!

OK. Did a water change last night (0.5 gal.) and also changed my filter floss. Checked my water parameters when I got up this morning and everything still looks good. I'm supposed to have my chaeto in the mail today from needreefunds. I haven't ordered any supplemental lighting so I may just tuck it away in the display tank for now until I have additional lighting.

I'm going to venture out to a different LFS this weekend to see what I can see.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

What size CUC did you put in there?