My 10g Block O' da Sea

sounds like a nassarius(spelling?) snail? they bury in the sand and sometimes come out at feeding time. they climb up the glass then slide down and back into the sand they go. You'd probably know if it was one of them though 'cause they have the little antena. Good luck on the water. I changed from fish only to live rock and my 40gl was cloudy for three months. I almost gave up, but now I have a beautiful piece of the reef.
 
Thanks for the encouragement reeferchick..I ran the skimmer for about an hour the other night and some of the brown algae went away but not much...

At this point, I just want the darn cycle to be over with so I can start doing some stuff with the tank...the water isn't cloudy...just some salt craze on the outside front of the tank which I have been too lazy to clean off yet... :lol: The problem right now is the algae/cycle/ammonia...I still have ammonia, and a trusted LFS thinks my cycle will last about another 2 or so weeks...I would love to just go throw a damsel or two in there so 1) I would have life in there and 2) to speed up the cycle...but, I did that with a previous tank and that tank was all screwed up...had to scrap that tank and I don't want that to happen here...

So...I guess for now I just have to wait...although I don't want to wait... :( Just one thing...is there anything I can do about the different algaes...maybe a clean-up crew or something...it is probably the biggest thing bugging me at this point...if not, I guess patience is the only thing to do... ;)

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Ok...been lax about updating my water parameters last two days...here they are...along with today's...

12/31/2006

Temp - 79
Ammonia - 0.2
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0

1/1/2007

Temp - 79
Ammonia - 0.2
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0

1/2/2007

Temp - 79
Ammonia - 0.25
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 5

Here are 2 graphs of what my temperature and ammonia have been doing...no nitrate since today was the first time seeing it...

AmmoniaChart.gif
TemperatureChart.gif


I am really not understanding what is going on with the ammonia...one day or two it goes down...next goes up...I think I'm gonna do a water change today and scrub my rocks to get the algae off...I now have green hair algae growing all over the back side of the rocks...along with the brown algae...some hair algae in there as well...then see what the parameters are the next couple of days...

Anyone think getting a couple of cups of sand from a few local reef club members might make a difference with the cycle? Add in the nitrite/nitrate eating bacteria and speed up the cycle? Or what about getting some chaeto from a local reef club member who lives just up the road a piece from me...he said his chaeto is populated with all kinds of pods, mini brittle stars, etc...I wanna add this in to my HOB refugium to get the excess nutrients out of the water but would hate to kill off all the pods and such...

So...with that I'll pause for today...anyone have any suggestions? Lotsa help requested at this point...
 
Totally get sand from someone and a clean up crew. Thats sweet but there are plenty of pods in the world my friend. I think it would help or at least be worth a try. I started my nano with live sand someone brought from florida and i believe that is the secret to the tanks sucess. I don't know a lot about the chemical side but snails and hermits aren't that expensive. so its worth a try. good luck
 
Totally get sand from someone and a clean up crew. Thats sweet but there are plenty of pods in the world my friend. I think it would help or at least be worth a try. I started my nano with live sand someone brought from florida and i believe that is the secret to the tanks sucess. I don't know a lot about the chemical side but snails and hermits aren't that expensive. so its worth a try. good luck
 
Thanks chick...I asked around in my clubs forum and everybody said a few good pieces of CURED live rock were more important than live sand...point is, they have more bacteria in them and sand becomes live from them...so I guess they have a valid point...trying to get a few pieces of live rock from someone...

Mike - glad to see ya could stop by...get me some pics of those ideas I gave you man!! :lol:

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Ok...parameters from 1/3/2007 (it was my birthday by the way! :D )

Temp - 78
Ammonia - 0.3 (could have been 0.35 but color hard to tell)
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 5 (give or take)

Bubble algae is showing up in the tank...green grass-like algae is really showing up like a carpet...diatom bloom is starting to recede a little...so, I'm not quite sure whether or not to get some critters for a small clean-up of the tank or not...looking at a few hermits, an emerald crab and some snails...we'll see...
 
Jason,

The little fluctuations from your Ammonia may be due to all of your scrubbing. If you're routinely breaking off/killing little tykes along with the algae, or sending more detritus off the rocks, you may be "helping" things cycle.

Just a thought, but you might want to let them be for a bit, and see if it helps.

p.s. Happy belated birthday :)
 
yeah, personally, i didnt do anything to my tank other than let the filter run and do small water changes for 3 weeks, and it was ready to go. Corals and fish have been doing fine since :D
 
keithdoc - I have only scrubbed stuff with the first major water change...I have left stuff alone since...

MrMex - I have been letting the tank run...only thing I've done is check parameters...

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I'm in the process of working on the tank...I'll post an update later on what I've done... :)
 
As promised, an update on the new additions... :D

But first, water parameters...

1-4-2007

Temp. - 79
Ammonia - 0.30
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 5

1-5-2007

Temp. - 79
Ammonia - 0.20
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 5

Parameters in graph form...

TemperatureChart-1.gif

AmmoniaChart-1.gif


I am still baffled by the parameters...ammonia is up and down...nitrites are non-existant...nitrate is holding at 5...I am going to have one of our trusted LFS test my water today (or possibly 2 for comparison purposes)...
 
And now for the changes... ;)

As suggested in another thread, I got some Chaeto yesterday after work to try to take care of the excess nutrients that I apparently have that are feeding my hair / grass / bubble algae problems...well, first of all I got way more Chaeto that I bargained for...keep in mind I have a 10g nano...well, here is a shot of the Chaeto AFTER I added all that I could in to my tank...this is a bucket that is about 5g...

Chaeto.jpg


It was a huge amount of Chaeto!! (thanks twon8! ;) )...it is CHOCKED full of life...brittle stars, some other sort of star I haven't ID'd yet (looking at Melev's ID page after I post this)...bristleworms, a couple peanut worms, amphipods, copapods and God only knows what else!! I have what I can in the refugium...I wanted to more in there to really suck up the nutrients but I didn't want a big ball of it that would overtake my tank...

So, I stopped at the grocery store and bought sever $1.50 nylon lint traps...they are simple nylon mesh bags that are about 6" long and about the diameter of my wrist...the mesh is a very tight weave, so I cut several triangle shaped holes to let stuff "escape" from the bags...the bags have nylon zip ties at the top to shut off the bag but I left them undone...I figure this will give my Chaeto a place to grow out of the bag and I can easily prune it with scissors this way...I didn't snap a picture of this arrangement but I will get some in the next day or so...I'm also thinking of another arrangement where I use eggcrate and set some live rock on top of an eggcrate cage with the chaeto hidden inside...

Now, as I was leaving my friend said "Hey hold on a second." I was surprised to see him throw in to the bucket a frag of Xenia!! :beer: :thumbsup: YAY!! My very first coral every!! :D I was worried that I may not be far enough along in the cycle, but I figured if I don't put it in my tank it will surely die in the open...so, I got home and plopped it in the sand bed...I'll give it a few days under my light and move it on to the rocks a little closer to the light...don't want to burn them...and, now for some pics...

Xenia1.jpg
[/IMG]

Xenia2.jpg


They looked kind of limp last night when I put them in, but this morning they are very active, upright and the "hands" are opening and closing like crazy...they are really "blowing in the wind" if you will...I shot a 15 sec. video clip with my digital camera that shows this...as soon as my slow satelite internet connection is done uploading the video I'll post a link so everyone can see it...I love this hobby more and more every day...

With that, I have to feed the kids and then I'm off for an afternoon of LFS hopping!! (I know, not always as fun as bar hopping but it can be more rewarding!!

Comments and suggestions please...keep em coming... :thumbsup:
 
Quick update...

About my water parameters...my tests, I've either done them incorrectly or I just have tests that are Salifert quality...well, 2 different LFS tested my water and...TA DA!!!

My cycle is complete!! All my parameters were in check, with the exception of Calcium and Alkalinity...both were high...Calcium was at 600 and Alk was at 2.0 (I think...will correct later if I'm wrong)...

So, with that my wife twisted my arm and just forced me to go to some different LFS today... ;) :lol:

After I'm done aclimating, I'll post some pics later this evening...stay tuned for more... :D
 
I've read all the posts in this thread and would recommend leaving the tank alone until the cycle is done, no water changes, nothing. Changing water only prolongs your cycle. When the cycle is truly complete you won't even have to clean the tank, it will be clean. That was the case for me on my two "boxes of water."
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8915333#post8915333 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Michael Mota
go slow, when adding animals, jmho

I know...but, based on advice from a couple different LFS that are trusted in this area I think I'll be ok with what follows...thanks for dropping by and good luck with getting your boy back on track. :)

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Sorry everyone for not replying last night, but I spent so much time in front of my tank last night I lost track of time... :lol:

Anyway, without further delay here is what was picked up last night from one of our trusted LFS here in Richmond, VA (Atlantis Aquariums)...I appologize in advance for any crappy pics...my camera was giving me a fit and some didn't turn out good but I posted the ones that were the best of the bunch...

First, the 2 clowns that my wife really likes...

Clown1.jpg

Clown2.jpg


Next, a picture of my pink frogspawn...I am hoping that the clowns will take to this and eventually host in it...either that or host in my xenia...the picture is deceiving, it is really pretty...it is a deep pink and has green accents...I haven't decided on the exact position in my tank for this one yet...I'll figure it out with the help of the frogspawn - where ever it is happiest, I will leave it...

Frogspawn1.jpg


Next, just a quick shot of everything floating...definitely gives perspective to how little room you really have in a nano... :eek2:

Floating.jpg


continued...
 
rs - Thanks for the advice...you posted as I was posting...actually, the cycle is complete...this has been confirmed by two seperate LFS and yes, these are trusted LFS that are marine only...we have a bunch of pet stores in the city, but only these 3 are really trusted (there is a fourth about 15-30 minutes east of the city but he is closing up shop.) As for the tank being clean, I will always have a slightly dirty tank due to my lights...I have just about 10w per gall of PCs over the tank...so I will always need hermits and snails due to PCs causing algae...but, this light will also allow me to have just about anything in my tank so it's a fair trade off in my opinion... ;)

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Continuing the tank tour...I got a rock with a few small red/green button polups on it...I don't like the rock, so if anyone has any suggestions for taking the polups off the rock and moving them so I can get rid of the rock please let me know (or I can use it as a base for part of my aquascaping so you can't see it ;) )

ButtonPollups1.jpg


And my final purchase from last night were some Zoanthids...I really like the color of these...they are red but I do believe I see some green ones forming as well...kind of hard to tell because the rock they came on is smaller than a small block of silly puddy (you know, what comes in the plastic easter egg - oh no, showing my age again! :lol: )

Zoathids1.jpg


After everything was placed, everybody was pretty peturbed with the move...but this is normal...almost every single polup is open this morning and everything looks good and the clowns are eating like pigs!! :lmao:

I know, some people will say it is too much but after consulting with some people I believe I'll be ok...just need to keep watching the parameters as I have been lately...

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I almost forgot, I promised pics of my temporary solution for my chaeto...

Here is the nylon sleave that I used...it is sold in the laundry isle as a lint trap...

ChaetoSleeve2.jpg


And here is a pic of the sleeve filled with chaeto...as I said I cut several triangle holes cut in the sleeve so stuff can escape...

ChaetoSleeve1.jpg


I am in the process of designing a small sump for this system...these chaeto sleeves are only temporary, and as soon as I have my sump put together they will go down below to a refugium...the refugium will be lit on a reverse cycle to the tank to prevent pH swings...a sump will allow me to get the heater out of the tank as well as get the HOB refugium out of the tank...with a clean looking tank back, I can then paint a piece of acrylic with some Krylon and fasten it to the back of the tank...I think adding a sump will really change the overall stability of the tank for the better...

With that, comments and suggestions...keep em coming... :thumbsup:
 
Take a full tank pic when you get a chance.
I've been known to rush it a little myself.
You can't go wrong with clowns.
 
I'll post a few later today...I was trying to hold off until I got the sump and other changes done so I could show a real quality show tank...but I guess I can use the ones today as before and after shots... :lol:
 
HR - congrats on your addition. I need to start my nano build thread (wife took the camera with her for the next few days, so we'll see).

I'm in Richmond too, and have been to most of the stores. I cannot more highly recommend you visit Joe at Fish World (It's off Midlothian just before 288). PM, and I"ll fill you in if interested.

Keep the pics coming. I'm jealous of your cute clowns. I"ll work on my thread soon.
 
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