My Ocean In A Box :)

[Chris_C]

Yep most likely due to die off. I would leave it a couple of days now and then test again. I wouldnt change any water as yet. Can and will slow the cycle of the tank down. When you get your refracto just remember to prime it with plain RO water.

Thanks Andy .. i already have a refractometer just need some RO water to get it ready to use like you say.


If i pick up some plain RO water and salted RO water, is there a time limit on how long i can have it sat in my containers? what im getting at is there a point where the water can go bad so to speak?

 

[ALW]

Regards to the water RO will be fine, salt i can only say that the longest i have had some sitting in a container was just over a week (9 days i think) and was fine. Just gave it a shake for a few minutes to for the sake of it.

 

[Chris_C]

The frags of pulsing xenia that i got with the live rock are amazing to watch! cant believe how much they are growing etc.. over the last week. Cant wait for them to grow more and start to have an impact on my tank .. i know some think of it as a weed but i love it personally.

Sorry about the clarity .. took it on my iphone because my camera is dead.

 

[ALW]

Looking good

 

[Chris_C]

Just sorted my refractometer and tested my water .. the salinity is at 1.40!! i guess this is why you should mix the water yourself. Anyway i know i need to dilute the water so to speak with plain RO.. but how much do you think i will need to take out and replace?

Any help would be great.

 

[ALW]

Wow thats high. Was the refraco showing 1.000 when you tested RO? Did you buy your SW for a lfs if so, i dont think it would be that high.

 

[seffieuk]

Get a refractometer post haste

Seffie x

 

[Chris_C]

I got the water from somebody's tank because he said it was a well established tank with no problems etc.. i kind of regret that now and should have just done my own water.


I primed (is that the right word?) my refractometer with RO water so the line was on 0 so its right .. couldnt believe it when i checked the tank water. What is the best way to go now?



Small note to add .. picked up another 15kg of live rock full of life this weekend for £70 which i thought was another bargain will get some pics up tomorrow after i do some scaping!

 

[ALW]

Ok Chris how much does the tank hold again an how RO do you have?

 

[Chris_C]

Well thanks to Andy i have managed to sort my salinity and get it down from an amazing 1.040 to 1.025/6.


It took alot of water but got there in the end! i ended up taking out around 50/60 litres in total and replacing it with plain RO water and it has done the trick. I did it in steps of around 10 litres at a time and leaving for 30 mins or so then testing with my refractometer. So as i said before a huge thanks to Andy who stayed in contact until late last night helping me.


As i said in an earlier post i managed to get hold of around 15kg of live rock for £70 this weekend just gone and have now got plenty in the tank i think (between 30-40kg)

I found out something new today aswell im terrible at aquascaping Here is a pic of how the tank looks now with the new rock.

I messed for ages and stuck with that i know alot say try to keep off the glass but i have made plenty of caves etc and will make sure i have plenty of flow going through..


Talking of flow i purchased two Koralia 2 powerheads today because the ones i got with earlier are noisy and dont do much for my liking so im going for some koralia powerheads on the advise of people on here



I also purchased a new heater because i hate the one in there at the moment. I purchased one of the new fluval heaters with a guard to stop the fish burning themselves and also has a built in digital tank thermometer. Retail at around £40 but managed to find a new one on ebay for £21.99

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280593358362&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1403wt_901



I wanted some help on my lighting situation if somebody doesn't mind giving me some input. I am running 2 T5's (14,000k) at the moment but want to get some soft corals down the line. I'm guessing my lighting isn't going to be enough? although my Xenia is doing fantastic. Any help i would be grateful.

 

[sorgan]

the scape looks good but move any rocks away from the glass on the sides of the tank, it will need to be cleaned and thats pretty hard with a rock laying on it.
lighting i am not so great at as i dont bother with it but i think another couple of T5's (what wattage are yours?) should do the trick but remember its the wattage not the amount of tubes thats the clincher. some tubes can be 25w while others can be 55w, obviously 3 55w will be better than 4 25w

 

[Chris_C]

Thanks Sorgan, my lights are 2 x 39w T5's. As for the rock I will try and take it off the glass although where the tank is there isn't much viewing from the sides.

 

[sorgan]

well my first tank had just short of that lightwise (sameish size) ans softies where ok, i would say maybe get another couple of tubes or some LEDS to bump up your lighting a tad, if your not in a hurry then dont hurry

oh and it isnt if you will be looking through the glass, as soon as that green and purple gets on any bit of glass you will want to scrub it off, its a curse i am afraid, as soon as you get salty you go mental.

 

[Chris_C]

Haha you also go poor aswell as mental lol thanks for the help, I will look into ways of adding more light. Was hoping to be able to modify the light unit I already have.


Forgot to add .. i also cleaned out my external fluval 405 today and removed all media etc and filled with live rock i had left over from the scape i did earlier. Breaking it down into smaller pieces dont half make a mess

 

[Chris_C]

I have run more tests today now i have the tank set up how i want etc .. and working towards CUC.


Salinity 1.025


pH - 8.4 no idea what has raised this could it be down to water flow? (changed it so there is more water agitation at top of the tank)

Ammonia - 0.25 (down from last test which is good)

Nitrite - 0

Nitrate - 40-80 hard to tell.



Does this look normal? i'm guessing i am going through some sort of cycle due to die off on live rock. I am happy with the ammonia drop but worried with the nitrate

Also is the pH ok at 8.4 if it stays stable now?


The forum seems fairly quiet when it comes to replies apart from Andy, Seffie & Sorgan it has been quiet despite over 400 views. I would really appreciate the help. Im sure there is plenty of knowledgeable salties who read the topics who can help but don't post