Dave's Beginner Photo Journal

[Fury Reef]

Day 3 water test on the 16. 

 

Calcium - 380

dKH - 11 or 12 (may have screwed up on one of the drops and didn't want to retest lol)

phosphate - 0

nitrate - 0

ammonia - 0.25

Nitrites - 0

[This guy is extra salty]

Did you test (or have a test) for nitrites?

[Fury Reef]

18 hours ago, This guy is extra salty said:

Did you test (or have a test) for nitrites?

Hi. yes, I do have a test but ran out of time last night to do the nitrites. I'll do that today when I get off work. 

 

Edited original comment with zero nitrites

[Fury Reef]

Got the rest of my Ultimate Refugium pack from the Algae Barn today. 

 

My Chaeto, phytos and copepods.

 

Saved 10% using CoralFish12g, too.

[Fury Reef]

Day 6 water test 

 

pH - 8.2

Nitrite - 0 

ammonia - 0.25

Nitrate - 5

dKH - 10 (179)

Calcium - 400

Phosphate - 0

[Fury Reef]

Day 10 water test

 

Nitrite - 0 

ammonia - 0

Nitrate - 5

dKH - 10 (179)

Calcium - 440

Phosphate - 0

 

Not much change, however, I am noticing a build up in the tank. I started phantom feeding yesterday with brine and I'm feeding phytos every day for the pods in the refugium. 

 

[Oldsalt01]

What manufacturer of your test kit (s) are you using?

[teenyreef]

2 hours ago, Oldsalt01 said:

What manufacturer of your test kit (s) are you using?

Lol, I was just wondering if it's API from all the ammonia readings of 0.25 

 

The API ammonia test kit is notorious for hardly ever reading zero even when it should. But it's no big deal, if the tank hasn't cycled yet, you would normally see ammonia readings higher than 0.25 anyway. 

 

Dave, you've made a great start! It looks like you're doing a lot of research and asking good questions. 

 

You probably know this already, but when you need to add new saltwater, mix it up outside the tank first.

 

 

[Fury Reef]

2 hours ago, Oldsalt01 said:

What manufacturer of your test kit (s) are you using?

As teeny said, it is API lol.

 

The ammonia readings were probably zero. I think my eagerness was hoping for something higher lol.

 

4 minutes ago, teenyreef said:

Lol, I was just wondering if it's API from all the ammonia readings of 0.25 

 

The API ammonia test kit is notorious for hardly ever reading zero even when it should. But it's no big deal, if the tank hasn't cycled yet, you would normally see ammonia readings higher than 0.25 anyway. 

 

Dave, you've made a great start! It looks like you're doing a lot of research and asking good questions. 

 

You probably know this already, but when you need to add new saltwater, mix it up outside the tank first.

 

 

 

Thanks very much! I appreciate that very much.

[Fury Reef]

I started dosing with fluval cycle at the suggestion of my LFS three days ago. I'm now on day 14 of my tank and just finished the last daily dosing yesterday. 

 

We talked about dosing ammonia vs this fluval cycle and she said both should work the same, but with the cycle in would get beneficial bacteria as well.

 

I tested everything my API kit had, but ill only share nitrite, nitrate and ammonia

 

Day 12 test

Nitrite - 0 

Ammonia - 0

Nitrate - 0 

 

Day 13 test

Nitrite - 0

Ammonia - 0.25

Nitrate - 10

 

Day 14 test

Nitrite - 0

Ammonia - 0.25

Nitrate - 20

 

Levels are definitely moving in the right direction. 

 

This picture is a few days old. Since this picture the algae build up is everywhere. I've also repositioned my wave maker. It only adjusts "up and down" and I had it blowing across the tank. This was causing the sand from the sides to build up in the center and on my rock which I don't want.

 

Since talking to my LFS I turned it "sideways" so it's still in the same spot but is blowing toward the front of the tank which I like a lot more. I no longer need to turkey baste and off my "platform rock" I want to use for my favorite coral in the front left side. I was even able to turn the wave maker up a little bit. I even slid it down a little so it stopped creating that tornado effect.

[Fury Reef]

I have a real tale of two tanks here. After talking to my LFS, I told them that the cyano in my 28g is way out of hand regardless of how many 50% water changes every week I do with RODI water.

 

They suggested to remove my rock and let it dry for 14 days. This should kill the bacteria in it. Then to take a toothbrush and brush it off before reintroducing it back into my tank. So on Feb 21 I will be doing that.

 

I've also tossed three rocks since the person I got this track from overstocked it. The ones I tossed had dead zoas on it.

 

I'll be turning on my four damsels and file fish since I no longer have aptasia. I'll keep the clown. I may also keep my Kenia tree depending on how it does in my tank the next two weeks. I'll also be getting better sand.

[Fury Reef]

Props to Algae Barn. Their copepods they sent me were dead when I got home.

 

I sent a AOA request and they approved it and will be sending me the replacement as well as Nanobrine as a complimentary gift.

[Fury Reef]

On 2/12/2018 at 12:10 PM, Fury Reef said:

Props to Algae Barn. Their copepods they sent me were dead when I got home.

 

I sent a AOA request and they approved it and will be sending me the replacement as well as Nanobrine as a complimentary gift.

 A few updates. I got my replacement copepods and they looked the same. The ones Algae Barn seem to sell are so small that you can barely see them. 

 

I'm hoping they get freaky and create a huge colony lol

[Fury Reef]

Two updates. One for each tank.

 

28 gallon - I'm approaching the end of the two weeks I've taken my live rock out to kill all the bad bacteria on it. 

 

I've set up a 40g breeder with water that I got for free to put the rock in to re-cure it after I scrub the junk off. I'm going to leave it in that tank for about 2 months depending. I don't want the ammonia spike to kill everything. (see picture)

 

16 gallon - my tank is officially cycled and I added the following animals:

 

2 - Bumble bee snails

2 - Trochus snails

2 - Cerith Snails 

 

You can't really see them all in the picture but they are there. 

 

I've settled on the fish in will get for the tank (in a month or so) and it's going to be two Lightning maroon clowns. I really want to get the right design before spending the money so that pickup is dependant on my LFS and what they have and when.