Tiny white specks...

[Kathy55g]

Everything loves copepods. You are having a fabulous bloom!

Probably you have harpacticoids.. Larvae may be pelagic (in the water), but they grow up to be benthic (in the sand and rocks). So the bloom may not be dead, just maturing.

You have enough live rock that your cycle should be pretty short. How's the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate levels?

 

[Ocicat]

Well at one LFS they recommended that all I really needed during my cycle was the nitrite test, so that was all I bought - It is a Tetra nitrite test, and so far every time I have used it, it says my nitrites are yellow-orange - I mean, 0.3.

I haven't heard a lot about Tetra tests, and I was feeling blind only knowing nitrite, so last week I ordered a whole slew of Salifert tests (ammonia, nitrate, alkalinity, phosphate, calcium, magnesium) from Custom Aquatic - unfortunately they won't be here until this Friday. :-[

Very cool about the pods' lifecycle - I hope you are right!

 

[Im Lon 2]

Most LFS will test Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrites for you.

Where did you get the rock?

 

[Ocicat]

I got almost all (~105 lbs) of the LR from MS, in two separate visits, from two different shipments of rock. I think most of it is Haitian. They had some awesome shapes.

I also got one piece from Beldts.

 

[Ocicat]

I tested again last night, and according to Tetra my nitrites are now more yellow and less orange. Woohoo! Actually the lowest category on the test is <0.3, so I'm not sure how to tell when they're at 0. I will have to take a sample to an LFS as soon as I have a chance.

 

[Ocicat]

Per the LFS last night:
pH 8.03
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 12
KH/alkalinity 7

I was advised to add buffer to raise my KH and pH, so I did that when I got home. He said to add it, wait a day, add it again, then wait another day, and then I should be ready for fish....!

 

[Chelsey]

Awesome! Make sure you take a bunch of pics!