24g Cube Cycling Update

[Rel]

Hope I’m posting in the right place 😬...This is primarily for my own documentation but feel free to chime in.

 

I believe my tank is cycled. It’s been 4 weeks and 3 days since I set it up. I have some diatoms but not overbearing yet. It’s interesting to notice the areas where the brown growing more rampantly. I assume there is more light penetration in these areas. That’s helps to give me placement ideas for future corals.

 

I just ordered my refugium starter kit from algae barn! Super excited. The only thing in the tank now is a domino that my lfs basically forced me to “borrow” since he felt I was moving wayyyyy too slow. My nitrates have been 0 for about a week. It’s been 2 weeks since my diatom bloom. I’m still running my ai prime lights.

 

I’m eager to add a clean up crew but many of them weird me out tbh. So far I want a trochus snail and a cleaner shrimp. I’m waiting until I can find one from a reputable seller because I just don’t trust some of the lfs livestock. 

 

Im really considering drilling into the bottom of this tank to add a sump underneath 😬. I have become obsessed with interest for refugiums and I’m almost certain I couldn’t bare to live without one. One major goal is to achieve a thriving pod population to sustain a mandarin. I have been told this may not be possible in a tank my size but a girl can dream... and drill.

 

Ok I think that’s it for now. Happy Reefing.