Progress So Far, Part 2

[mikeshe0]

Now it's all crystal clear and cycling away nicely.




Done water tests on Sunday 22nd and they were as follows:

Phosphate 1
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5
Ammonia 0.25
PH 8.0
Alk 14.8 dKH
SG 1023

Today's test as follows:

Phosphate 1
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5
Ammonia <0.25
PH 8.1
Alk 11.2dKH
SG 1023

LR is slowly getting a nice covering of purple on it and is covered with minute bubbles.

Any experts cast their eyes over the figures and give me your opinions please.

No skimmer in place yet, should be here tomorrow.... Deltec MCE600.

One thing I am not happy with and that is the horrible line along the back of the background at the top. Like a muppet I glued it on and it looks horrible. Any ideas to remove it and the glue welcome and suggestions how to stick it up again.

Many thanks,

Mike

 

[norite]

Looking good! You're just ahead of me...I'm waiting for my shipment of live rock...should be with me any day now!

 

[Ricey]

good old selotape worked a treat for me. just make sure its the real good quality stuff, not the cheap useless crap.
when u stick it down, do it slow and push out any air pockets.. once done you can hardly see it!

 

[Matty P]

like the way you have done the rocks, lookin good!

 

[sianeds]

Great start

I would imagine the most effective way of removing the glue would be to use elbow grease.

I also use sticky tape to fix my backgrounds. Black electrical tape works very well too and hides and cutting mistakes nicely

 

[leecara]

looking good

i just used cellotape for mine

 

[SkiFletch]

Looks great, nice start

 

[mikeshe0]

Today I notice that the sand bed is getting a bit brown in places, is this normal?

Mike

 

[sianeds]

Yep That is your diatoms starting. Test your water....you're getting close to adding your clean up crew

 

[mikeshe0]

Yep That is your diatoms starting. Test your water....you're getting close to adding your clean up crew

Yipeee

 

[mikeshe0]

Just done my water tests today and they are as follows:

Phosphate 0.5
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 3
Ammonia <0.25
PH 8.1
Alk 10.6 dKH
SG 1023

Looks good to me but I know nothing!

Mike

 

[Ricey]

i dont know if its anything to think about, but your Alk has gone from 14.8 dKH to 10.6 dKH in 4 days

PH and is nice and stable, so i guess its all ok?

 

[AK77]

Looking really good Mike. Liking the rock arrangement a lot! See what you mean about the glue. I've yet to get a background for my Juwel 180. I think I'll stick to good old sticky tape like others have mentioned lol.

 

[SkiFletch]

i dont know if its anything to think about, but your Alk has gone from 14.8 dKH to 10.6 dKH in 4 days

PH and is nice and stable, so i guess its all ok?

Yeah, calc/alk can fluctuate kinda wildly in the first few weeks of an aquarium, hence corals are not reccomended during this time frame. Also, the aquarist is getting used to performing the tests during this timeframe and lets just say that repeatability in testing methods is never there first thing. Its a learning process