Orca 550

[CageUK]

If the skimmer is anything like the one in the 450tl then is was a right PITA. I eventually replaced it with another nano skimmer which was better but not by much, but at least it didn't shower the tank in micro bubbles.

Don't panic too much about the skimmer at the moment as there isn't anything to skim anyway and some nano users never bother at all!

 

[CageUK]

Forgot to say, sounds like you've got a lot of hitchhikers there so must have been some good live rock.

As far as your mushroom is concerned, I think they are fairly easy going as far as positioning is concerned so I would leave it where it is at the moment and experiment if it doesn't like it's position.

 

[Dana C]

Thanks for that, I have left the mushroom at the bottom of the tank for now it's funny because when the tanks lights are off it aims itself at the window i'm guessing to get more light.
I got the rock from swallow aquatics in colchester it was out of the water for about an hour but it seems ok.

 

[Dana C]

I have just done my first set of tests
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 10
specific gravity 1.023
ph 7.7
temp about 27 degrees
how are these sounding?

 

[CageUK]

Sounds fully cycled to me

The PH needs to be looked at. Ideally you want to be aiming for around 8.3. This does vary depending on what time of day you performed the tests. If you did the test in the morning, you will normally find the PH at it's lowest and conversely it will be higher at the end of the day. I buffer my tank from time to time and also run an airstone in one of the filter compartments. Frequent small water changes will help also.

Also personally I prefer my SG a little higher. I run at 1.024 but the normal suggested range is 1.024-1.026. If you do decided to raise your SG then do it slowly over the course of a day or so.
I have to admit though although they are probably not happy with SG swings I have never had a problem that I can attribute to them (if I forget/neglect to top up). The little guys seem to be tougher than we give them credit for.

The same could be said for temperature. I normally run at around 25c but in the summer it was all over the place and got up to over 29c a couple of times.
I doubt they were happy with it but it didn't seem to do any damage.
Temp for Marine tanks though are normally a little cooler than for freshwater (the sea doesn't heat up as much as rivers and lakes). 25c tends to be the norm so you may want to tweak that a little.

Good work though

 

[Dana C]

Thanks for your reply,
I have turned my temp down I think the thermometer I had been using was faulty, I will also up my salt over the weekend to get it right.
Do I have to wait untill I get some algae before I add my clean up crew because at the moment there is nothing for them to clean.

 

[seffieuk]

Do you have your test kits yet? You will need to be testing and have nitrates below 10 before you add cuc - check out my thread - Bigc expalins it all there

Seffie x

 

[xxBarneyxx]

I wouldnt turn the temp down too low. It does depends on where your stock is coming from but 26-27 degrees centigrade is ok. A lot of the ocean temperatures in the reef regions where most of our livestock comes from average out around this temperature and can go up or down by two or three degrees. I will try and find the website before I go away and post a link. It shows the ocean temperatures in the reef regions over 2 or 3 years. Mine is just a little over 26.

For the CUC I it might be worth leaving it a little while longer. You will get an algae bloom eventually so I would leave it until then. If you want to you could maybe get a couple of hermit crabs just to add interest, if you have enough liverock they should be able to find enough to keep them going.

My advice for when you do get the CUC would be to build it up slowly. Its always tempting to get a load of them to get it cleaned up fast but if you have to many there will outstrip the amount of available food and you will lose some. Personally the way I do it is to get a good group to begin with (after the inital algae bloom) and then give them a month to see how they cope. If there is still a lot of algae I get a couple more and then leave them for another month. Takes longer this way but in my experience its the best way to get a good balance.

 

[Dana C]

Ok I will wait abit longer before I add anything, and I have got test kits I got the salifert ones after seeing them recomended on here. It says my nitrates are 10 but I will wait over the weekend before testing again and get my salt levels up first.

 

[Dana C]

I have just tested my water again and I now have
temp 26 degrees
SG 1.024
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 10
ph 7.7
Is there something I should add to raise my ph as I don't understand why it is so low, I use red sea coral pro salt and have added coral sand which I was told in the shop would raise it but it didn't change.

 

[CageUK]

It's possibly an excess of Co2. that's causing this. I run an airstone in one of the rear chambers to increase oxygen in the water and I occasionally use a buffer. You can test if oxygen is the problem by putting some water in a sealed container, shaking it for 30 seconds or so then take a reading a couple of minutes later. You should find the reading goes up slightly.
At least that is the procedure as I remember it but then again I'm getting old and my memory is getting dusty

 

[Dana C]

I have sorted out my low ph and was getting ready to do a water change before starting to add some snails when I spotted something in my tank.
I saw an antenna sticking out the bottom of a rock and when I lifted the rock up to see what was under there something dropped to the sand and ran away before I could get a look, it moved really fast and I have I don't know where it went.
Aybody got any ideas what this could be and how to catch it?

 

[seffieuk]

How exciting, don't worry too much, you could however put a little bit of food in and see if it comes running then you could see if it is a good guy or not

Seffie x

 

[Dana C]

I am going to put some food in tonight and see what turns up, I have been told to stick a prawn in there and that should make it come out.
It is quite exciting seeing these things although last night it caught me by suprise and I've got to admit I let out a little scream, I am such a girl at times.

 

[CageUK]

Good job you didn't drop the rock through the bottom of the tank! You would have really screamed then