Better than TV

[Maggie321]

This is a new journey for me. We are trying to get a big tank up and running by fall but the suspense is killing me so we are starting a smaller 39 bowfront reef tank in the mean time. The tank, I got years ago from a friend in trade for a window treatment I didn't like. It has been freshwater up until the a few days before the 22nd of June. The first pic it's all cloudy from adding sand and salt. I mixed the salt first. Then rinsed the sand before adding it to the tank. The rock I added on the 24th because I had to go buy new because my shipment got lost in transit (It still has not turned up). On the 22nd, the tank got thoroughly cleaned. Refilled with RO/DI, reef crystals, sand, & 1 bottle of bio-spira.
Readings 6/22 (1st photo)
salinity 1.024
PH 7.8
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 2
Nitrate 30(ish)
Readings 6/24
salinity 1.024
PH 7.8
Ammonia .25
Nitrite .5
Nitrate 30(ish)
Readings 6/26 (2nd photo)
Same but nitrates went down to 20???

Ok. Weird nitrates went down but I am going to be patient. I am still phantom feeding. The lights are staying off for now. I only turned them on to take the picture.

Thanks for looming and feel free to help a newbee out!

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[river2reef2024]

The way you set that rock looks great

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[Maggie321]

The way you set that rock looks great

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Thanks so much! We tried the tube of green stuff that turns white when mixed, but it didn't work very well. We ended up using super glue gel on the parts that didn't hold. Hopefully there is enough of a variety of light intensity that I will find a happy place for each coral. [emoji4]

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[Maggie321]

Is it weird that my cycle is practically doing nothing? Except my ammonia.
It went up to .5... I am still phantom feeding, so that must be why. The water clarity is amazing. No algae or anything. I know nothing good happens fast and it has only been 5 days but I would this k something would change. Should I put in a shrimp? I am going grocery shopping tonight! Lol.

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[dimasv]

Beautiful setup

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[Maggie321]

Beautiful setup

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Thank you.

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[Maggie321]

Readings 6/28
salinity 1.024
PH 7.8
Ammonia >.5
Nitrite .5
Nitrate 30(ish)

Still not much change... so I wait.

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[Maggie321]

Ok... I am finally getting somewhere I feel like. I had been chasing my tail with ghost feeding and waiting. My ammonia was not coming up and I felt like my nitrites were just climbing and no change on my nitrates. So I caved and got 4 small hunks of live rock (some of it is old coral skeleton) at my LFS and like magic my ammonia disappeared and my nitrites came down to practically nothing over night. Now I am getting serious about picking a small fish or 2 and a CUC and start getting some idea of the LPS and SPS that I want. I think the first animals I want are a goby pistol shrimp pair. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
In about 6 months or so I am going to have a much larger tank (200gallon) I can transfer some fish to but I would like to keep the systems as seperate as possible. The large tank will definately have some sort of trigger fish because that's the only fish my boyfriend cares about so we will build out stock around what that is compatible with
Btw I have a ATO system coming on Monday with a Kalkwasser kit.

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[Maggie321]

Added a Kalkwasser ato. All my numbers have been great. I want my corals to explode. Hopefully that helps.

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[Megabyte]

Coming on nicely.

 

[Maggie321]

Had a diatoms bloom/explosion... wiping the glass daily and going to do a couple extra wc. Protein skimming extra heavy too, I lowered the cup to collect more. I think it was due. Nothing a little extra water change can't handle. I didn't get a good pic of the mess, that's after I wiped everything down. It's time for a good scrubbingthis weekend though I think. I am going to take out the powerheads and wipe them down. And clean up the skimmer. Man-o-man does that stuff stink.

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[Maggie321]

Coming along. Time to wait out more algae. I had a couple of snails murdered by some hermit crabs that wanted the shells. That's the only thing I have lost. Mimic tang is doing well. I thought I was going to loose him, he had weird white patches and was scratching on everything. He would lay on top of the goby and pistol shrimp. Any time the emerald crab was out he would swim right next to him. He acted like he wanted picked at. I videoed him and took the video to the LFS concerned about ich or a bacterial infection. Turned out he wanted a friend to groom him so, he got one! Cleaner wrasse to the rescue! The next day, he was acting better, more social, less scared. They have been buddy's ever since. Oh, and don't worry about him being in too small of a tank, he will be moved to a larger tank in a few months. I have come to realize, I am a heavy feeder. So they are fasting today. Tang and wrasse are going to have to eat algae off the rock like they are supposed to. This tank needs to go on a diet!

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[Maggie321]

Algae is slowly disappearing. Cyano is a bit of a challenge. Along with flatworms. I don't believe they are the AEFW kind but I don't really know if I have any acropora. I know the names of some of the corals I have but some I do not. Lol. I just know they look pretty.

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[Sam2832]

Hi good idea to get some practice before the big setup!As for the flatworms, i haven't seen any acropora in your pictures so probably not aefw.In the future you should try to inspect carefully/dip any new additions to your reef.A predator wrasse like a six line might be a good idea to help control possible pest.
Good Luck!

 

[Maggie321]

8 months since last post...
Everything is doing pretty well. That picture is a couple weeks old but I am happy with progress.

Maggie

 

[Maggie321]

More photos. Mostly under blues.

Maggie

 

[Maggie321]

Today...
Just for you [MENTION=372379]Dsekula[/MENTION].

Maggie

 

[Dsekula]

Nice!!
That's a lot of nice coral and growth in 8 weeks. I do like the rock work, one of the things I didn't consider in my odd tank is how I almost have to put the rock right agnist the back glass.

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[Dsekula]

8 months omg not 8 weeks [emoji38] sry I can't type what I mean today. Lol those corals would have to be on roids for that to be 8 weeks!

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[Daddyrawg]

what brand are your lights?