00stoll's 90 gallon reef

[00Stoll]

I'm cycling now.

Equipment includes:
30 Gallon sump/refugium
Eheim 1262 return pump
2 - Aqua-illumination SOL Blue fixtures
auto top-off and pH meter (both 10 years old but seem to be working as advertised. I re-calibrated the pH meter.
Eshopps PSK150 skimmer that doesn't seem to be working properly. I don't think the pump is moving enough water. The return tube (the one with the two dots on it) has to be almost completely closed to get the water column to rise at all. There are a lot of bubbles in the tube, but nothing is being collected. I've been in touch with the re-seller, and hopefully we'll figure it out or get a replacement.

Anyway, below are a couple of pictures - one with the lights off so you can see what's underneath and one with the lights on focused on the aqua-scaping.

Now to watch the cycle. My LFS says that the rock should be fully cycled, but I expect a mini-cycle just from the die-off of moving the rock home from the store.

 

[Dr. Reef]

looking nice,keep checking for ammoina, ghost feed few days to see if it rises and goes back down to 0. once ammonia and nitrites are 0 ur good to go.
if rock is fully cured and established then u may or may not see a spike.

 

[brandoniscool]

I'm just a noob myself but I've read that you actually want your water flow rate through the sump to be slow so the skimmer has more time to process the dirty. Increased circulation in the display tank should be via another plumbed in system or power heads.

I've also heard that skimmers need to be broken in, something about a bacterial film on the surface of the plastic that accommodates bubble formation.

Just an idea... you're tank looks good.

 

[Dr. Reef]

skimmer will take atleast 1 month to break in.

 

[00Stoll]

Does that mean that I should see increased water flow as it breaks in?

Thanks