I'm Doing It...

[Chac]

smithrc - It can only be good signs that lots of things are showing themselves so early into the cycle. Shows that the water quality must be pretty good already I'd highly reccomend using a small flashlight or your phones light when all lights are out to see what creepy crawlies you can find

i see 100's at lights out and only 10 or so in the day, looking good

Dan

get a hold of a red light emmiting torch as most Inverts cannot see this part of the spectrum and will not flee when you are viewing them

 

[smithrc]

I've got low level moonlights on it already...

might go take a peak in a bit

I turned the lights off and the polyps went to bed in about 10 mins


should i hace active carbon in the filter during a cycle?

smithrc - sorry for Highjacking your thread - Where'd you get the 8" PC Compacts from - I have the same tank in the loft and have been promising myself I would turn it in to a NSW Reef Tank soon but never gotten round to it

they are 12" - 24W's

I'm running them from a twin 36W ballast
cooling is an issue though - still working on it

 

[smithrc]

got my new toy this morning....

SG is litterly just under 1.025

just under £30

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Good price, where'd you get it?

 

[smithrc]

eBay

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marine-refractometer...1QQcmdZViewItem

Thats £27.90

Highly recommended - bought and paid for it Sunday,
it was posted Monday and I had it Tuesday

 

[smithrc]

right folks... over the last 2 days - brown algae has started to build up...

Tested the water and....

Nitirite = 0ppm
Nitrate = 5ppm

Before you ask... I've misplaced my ammonia test kit

 

[SkiFletch]

Ah the wonders of diatoms... Sounds like you're progressing nicely

 

[smithrc]

Ah the wonders of diatoms... Sounds like you're progressing nicely

Am I right in thinking if i've got diatoms and o nitrite with nitrate rising... I'm probubly cycled?

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Looks like your near the end of your cycle

I'd leave it another couple of days and keep testing just to be sure, this will also give the diatoms more time to grow so your cleanup crew has something to eat.

You can do a good water change when you're sure it's at the end of the cycle to get the nitrates at 0 then you're ready for lovely snails

 

[smithrc]

then you're ready for lovely snails

and hermits - right?

unfortunatly the store is now out of clean up crew... except a couple of big turbos...

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

then you're ready for lovely snails

and hermits - right?

unfortunatly the store is now out of clean up crew... except a couple of big turbos...

Yep hermits too, i just said lovely snails as they're really interesting considering there well......snails

All LFS's around here only sell hermits and turbos

Chac reccomended CoralFarm to me and i've had a great experience, they sell pretty much every snail you could think of

 

[andyj]

You want some of them funky shrimps that we saw in Fantasea.... those ones that looked like little aliens !!

 

[smithrc]

You want some of them funky shrimps that we saw in Fantasea.... those ones that looked like little aliens !!

Since found out they are Arrow Crabs

Odd little buggers aint they

 

[smithrc]

I've got a critter....

not sure what it is yet though (not even a clue )

I've noticed a little collection of 'poop' had formed in a dead patch in the center of the tank...
took a closed look and it was actual poop not just muck

tonight when i went in the room i thought i'd have a look and flicked the lights on. 'something' made a mad dash for it across the rock and dived under just above the poop

looked white and about 1" in size.. wow - I have a 'thing'

I'll keep you upto date

 

[smithrc]

right folks... checked levels on sunday and they had risen (but only slightly... I did a 2L change and they dropped back a bit (about 5ppm)

So off I went to the only Marine store that had any clean up crew...
(and its not one I use for FW fish for reasons I wont go into, But needs must...)

I got what I think was a good deal.... 2 red leg hermits & 1 blue. 3 "nitro snails" not sure what they are but was assured they are good algae eaters and reef safe - they are all doing well

In the tank with the handfull of hermits was a cool little knobley mush getting blown about... so I 'rescued' it (hope it lives - or it wasnt much of a rescue) - all for £16

here are a couple of pics...