19 Gallon Nano Diary - New Corals And Fish Etc

[QuotheRaven]

Ok I have live rock and salt etc...Once I get the salinity right can I putthe LR in as in minutes after I add the salt?? Oh and it's uncured as thats all they had and the rock is out of water....ARGH stress!!

 

[QuotheRaven]

My substrate appears to be just crushed coral with No sand....is this still Ok?? that was all they had

 

[QuotheRaven]

Okie Dokie DAY ONE:

Purchased OceanFish Marine salt for 13 gallons for $27.00 and I used half and it got my salinity to 1.200...a little above actually, Crushed Coral substrate for $60.00 I used about 10% of the bag.... I got 4 Kilo's of live rock one which had a clam on it and lots of growth on it...they had only gotten in the substrate and Live Rock two days ago.... I bought a Hydrometer for $14.95 and the Live Rock was $19.00 a Kilo... I have a old internal filter which has 320 L/ph so I took the filter medium out for water flow and then I will attach my HOB filter with no medium in it after a clean up... I will be taking photo's later tonight...

Questions: How much light does a FOWLR need each day, does regular sunlight work? Also I have a 32 gallon reflector with a standard globe will that be ok for say 4 hours during the night when I turn it off my catfish tank??

Also on a side note the women who was serving me asked if I was in school ( I am in home schooling) and asked if I had a job and then said they were looking new employees and that I should bring in my resume'...

$167.75 spent today with the sale of a Synodontis Eupterus, Geophagus Surinamensis, Pim Pictus, Festivum and Firemouth and was given $60 store credit so I spent $107.75....

 

[QuotheRaven]

Here are some photo's of the live rock... I have had one confirmed hitch hiker which was a snail but I turned looked at something else and it disappeared I presume blown away by the filter there is a couple of things which look like worms ones white and moves but not like it's being blown by the filter and then there is this red and white thing that hasn't moved but is like a millipede...hmm

 

[QuotheRaven]

Hitch Hikers yay....A TINY TINY TINY brittle star, two snails ( one a limpet snail) and what looks to be a red and white bristle worm...in my small amount of research on hitch hikers that is

 

[QuotheRaven]

Wow wouldn't of thought I would have so many Bristleworms... one was I measured about 6-8 inches long... A tiny little Red Crab with a even smaller one near it... another crab which was cream coloured and brown on top of it... A shrimp which was green on top, really quick and burrowed in the subtrate...great fun to watch

 

[QuotheRaven]

Wow a cycling marine tank is a new aroma..Im glad im used to smelling fish tanks ( three of my four are in my room) anyone else would think it was awful...

 

[SkiFletch]

Haha, yeah curing rock has a "unique" smell to it

I'm so jealous of you aussies and brits, you guys ge some fantastic LR

 

[QuotheRaven]

Knowing very little of LR as in how it looks the women said these bits are good as they have heaps of growth one had a clam grown onto it... The water is cloudy and smells AWFUL...How can you tell if a bristleworm is dead?

 

[SkiFletch]

prod it and see if it moves? You might want to consider doing 100% water changes to dampen the smells and make the cycling/curing process easier. Just make sure the temp and salinity are pretty close before you do it and you'll be fine

 

[QuotheRaven]

I'll be fine...that is if Marine salt wasn't $27 for 13 gallons worth...and I get paid in two weeks!!! ahhhhh

My mum has put a little bowl of dried flowers with natural peppermint oil in my room now it smells like damp carpet and not curing LR...WOOHOO!

 

[littleme1969]

Watching this with great interest as I have a 16 gallon that I want to turn into a Nano.
Keep up the good work and keep the pics and questions/info comming

Nikki x

 

[QuotheRaven]

Yay I have some readers

The water is really badly cloudy but the peppermint oil has made the smell dissapate quite well I haven't gotten much time to do anything with the tank over the past couple of days due to school work... Question time!

1: When doing a water change some advise to disolve the salt in the water but also to have it at the same temp as the tank water... do I need another heater OR will the salt dissolve quickly enough to put it in??

2: Is it ok to use different brands of Marine salt if say you can't your regular brand??

 

[QuotheRaven]

Anyone can help with my questions.. Im planning on doing my first water change as the water is pretty disgraceful but I had to do school work from 12 Pm to 10 Pm straight today so had no time to do a water change

 

[QuotheRaven]

Anyone?? I am copping heaps because of the smell so I need to do a water change but cannot prepare the salt water... So I will dissolve the salt water in the bucket quickly as the tank is curing... Would it be safe to place cling film over the top of the tank to minimise the smell??