My Switch To Saltwater.

[Allen]

Please ignore the fliter pipes, they are only temporary - as is the heater - this will be moved to sump when its in.


OK, heres my rock formation.

And heres the wider view - I just have to hinge the doors on the unit and then I can install the sump.

Anyone know what I can put inside the fluval filter to use it ?
At the moment it is completely empty and just turning over water.
I have ceramic rings, charcoal bags and sponge filters - would any of these be ok, or do I need someting else ?

 

[cleekdaFish]

wat tv show is that

 

[Mr.September15]

looks like some remake of an American show

 

[Allen]

its celebrity family fortunes - it was on, but I wasnt watching it - honest !

 

[SkiFletch]

Lol, nice allen. I like the rock stack, looks great

As for the filter, run the charcoal in there, good chemical remover

 

[maidenfan]

bet you watch x factor too

as for the filter i have carbon rowa phos and poly filter in mine and one basket with LR rubble

looking really good by the way

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

looks like some remake of an American show

It was you lot who stole it from us

 

[John250]

Hi Allen.

Watching your progress with great interest !
Not long started on marines myself.
We seem to have the same predicament with an excess Fluval Canister ?
So I'm interested to see if it can serve a useful purpose


John

 

[Allen]

My readings over the last 3 days are as follows.

PH 8.2
Nitrate 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Ammonia 0ppm

PH 8.1
Nitrate 40ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Ammonia 0.25ppm

PH 8.0
Nitrate 40ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Ammonia 0.25ppm


My PH is slowly falling, do I need to do anything to get it back up ?
Nitrates are rising, I guess this is some die-off in the rock.
Ammonia is rising very slowly.
Nitrites are doing nothing.

On the live rock news...

I found a snail wandering up the glass today too - it has a white shell and black spots over it - any idea what type it is ?

Also, I must have at least 10 feather dusters now, all very small (1cm across).

And the water is crystal clear.

 

[SkiFletch]

Looks pretty normal, keep testing

 

[Allen]

This weeks water results so far.

Sunday
PH 8.2
Nitrate 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Ammonia 0.00 ppm

Monday
PH 8.1
Nitrate 40 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Ammonia 0.25 ppm

Tuesday
PH 8.0
Nitrate 40 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Ammonia 0.25 ppm

Wednesday
PH 8.1
Nitrate 30 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Ammonia 0.25 ppm

Thursday
PH 8.1
Nitrate 30 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Ammonia 0.0 ppm

Changes Noticed :
Today, the substrate at the front/centre of my tank is going slightly brown - anything to worry about ?
The snail - hes pootling around on his own and likes to burrow.

Strange white plant-liike trees are appearing on bits of the live rock - what are these ?

A little single white spiky lump has appeared on the live rock - BB pellet sized.
And loads of worms are congregating in one area.

A furry single yellowish ball has appeared on the live rock - again BB pellet sized.
Also Im getting green "bubbles" on the rock too.

Bright Green plant like worms are growing.


Anyone know what any of the above could be ?



Over the next 9 days I will continue testing then add the clean up crew next saturday I think. (or can I add them earlier ?)

 

[SkiFletch]

Sounds like everything is proceeding just like it should. The brown furry stuff is diatomaceous algae. Let it grow for now, its lowering your nitrates along with your coraline algae. A vast majority of cleanup crew members gorge themselves on diatoms so dont worry about them . I'd add the cleanup crew when either your nitrates drop below 20ppm, or next saturday, whichever comes first.

Do the white plant like things come from the top of the rocks near the light, or underneath them?

Tough to say about the spiky lump or the yellowish ball without a pic. Could be sponges or corals expressing their colors, or a host of other things. Anyway you can fire up your digicam? Use it in macro mode with the lense placed directly against the glass and no flash for best results

 

[Allen]

photos added.

the white tree like things are growing on top near the lights

 

[SkiFletch]

Those white tree like things will move to darker areas over the next month or so. I have no idea what they are, but they prefer to grow in the dark (the underside of my rocks are covered with them). Looks like you've got lots of sea fans and even some christmas tree worms, nice.

Seems like you've got tons of macroalgaes budding on there, so you'll just have to wait till they grow out to see what they end up being. Those green bubbles are Valonia, aka bubble algae. Get rid of them now, cause they can takeover a tank. Gotta be careful though, cause if you pop the bubbles, they release spores that will grow more bubble algae. I find the best method to be a pair of tweezers and an exacto knife but I've only ever had two bubbles in my whole tank. You can TRY purchasing an emerald crab to eat it, but they're not always reliable in that role and scavenge for other things before eaiting bubble algae.

 

[Allen]

where are the sea fans ? I cant see anything that resembles them ? Are they in the photos above ?