myelin Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 I did some testing on my Eclipse 12 gallon tank on Sunday. The tank has been running since 6/5/2003. The specs are as follows: June 8, 2003 6:36pm Eclipse 12 gallon tank Rio 50 50w automatic heater 19lbs Fiji LR Crushed Coral base stock PC lighting Tank Temp: 80.5 F Specific Gravity: 1.022-1.023 pH: 8.3 Alkalinity: light blue color from test (normal) Nitrite: pale blue - 0-0.1? See comments below Nitrate: 10 (test states 8 is the true level relative to NO2 level) Ammonia: (yellow color from test) 0 I am still somewhat confused with the Nitrite test since the color I recieved was not one on the indicator card. I am assuming the levels are high since the color is not on the indicator card, or the test results are faulty. Could someone explain this to me? I understand the Nitrogen cycle, but have a hard time understanding the results of the test. The tank is supporting some life. I have a small feather duster on one of the pieces of LR, and just yesterday I saw what I believe was a very small clam attaching itself to the front of the tank. All tests were done with the Marine Lab Test Kit from Red Sea. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I will also post some photos later on this evening. Link to comment
TZL Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 crushed coral? remove that and replace with live sand Link to comment
Orange Crush Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 unless of course you prefer the crushed coral, in which case leave it. Consider, however, that sand provides more surface area for bacteria to live on, so your tank may not be able to support as high of a bioload as it otherwise would. However, some people even go sandless. Long story short, you like the CC, keep it Link to comment
myelin Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 Originally posted by TZL crushed coral? remove that and replace with live sand Could you please elaborate on why I should switch to sand? Link to comment
myelin Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 52 views and only 2 replies? Come on now! Link to comment
FlyGTI Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Orange Crush made a great reply as to why you would consider changing substraits. Obviously the choice is yours. I've got a mixture of the two. Lots of live sand, also a lot of finely crushed coral. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably do more sand. I don't mind my crushed coral, and I've been keeping for nearly three years now. Link to comment
myelin Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 I started a thread about this a week ago in the beginners section of the forum. I didn't get many replies, so I went ahead and went with CC. The LFS said that CC would be easier to maintain over time. I don't forsee any problems using the crushed coral. I've seen nice tanks with sand, and I have seen tanks just as nice with coral. Any other comments, suggestions, etc? Link to comment
freakaccident Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Live sand supports more life. Thats the skinny on it. I prefer sand. I think it is easier to keep looking good. Link to comment
myelin Posted June 11, 2003 Author Share Posted June 11, 2003 Well, this is my first salt water tank. I did a great amount of reading and this is what I came up with. Hopefully everything works out okay. I am going to order a 96w retro this weekend, and rig up some sort of LED moonlights. I'll keep everyone posted. Link to comment
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