newbie starting sw, will have questions as I progress!

[sheamurai]

Hi
I guess I should have started this before, I want one thread where I can ask questions about stuff that is happening to my tank as I cycle, stock, and pull my hair out over various happenings. I hope that a journal can be used for asking questions too, rather than just a chronicle?

Recap of what has happened so far:

Dec 29th - Day 1 - set up tank 40gal, live rock, small amount of sand. Stock lighting (canopy and light that comes with the tank from store). Aquaclear 70 HOB filter with only floss pad to help clear water. HOB Skimmer. 2 korali powerhead 3's. Salinity mixed low to start according to FS at 1.016, SG at 22.

Day 2 - tested ammonia and nitrites only, as I was expecting the cycle to start "at the beginning"
ammonia 0 nitrites >0.3 SG jumped to 28.

Day 3 - added more sand, when I decided I wanted to get a shrimp/goby pair. salinity 1.021, SG 28.5

Day 5 - salinity 1.021, SG 28, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 20, calcium 420, pH 8, phosphate 0.5. took out filter floss and replaced with phospate pad.

Day 12 - finally got r/o water and mixed salt lat week in order to do a wc today to drop those nitrates. Bought proper (used) reef lighting and two smaller powerheads. Put them both in the tank and removed the large noisy one. Only running 2 at a time tho, will alter combinations of powerheads to change current occasionally. The guy also had corals for sale cheap and I caved and bought some. Such a good deal, plus more live rock for the tank. I wondered about adding so soon, but the guy said they would be ok. Also gave me some chaeto, will put that in HOB filter for mini refugium...

Day 14 - r/o water change. Noticed hitch hiker hermit crab yesterday.

Day 15 - lots of diatom growth. Coraline growth seems to be dying off the used powerheads and rock.

Day 17 - added some cuc. 10 hermit crabs, one shrimp.

Day 18 - odd growth from red buds noticed - posted thread and found out they are tube worms!

Day 19 - posted question under technical on lighting, if compacts have to be changed out every 6 months. Turns out yes, 6-9 months. Sigh. I need new bulbs already.

[Rue]

You're off to a good start!

Why are you starting your salinity so low?

[sheamurai]

Fish store guy said to start low...?
Also, I buy my r/o water in town so I'm so new to mixing I'm kinda scared of mixing too high and not being able to dilute it...

[Amazon]

try keeping it at 1.025. And also try dosing some calcium as it will help grow corraline faster and keeps corals healthy. i would make a large HOB refugium if I were you, they help SOOOO much to take nitrates out, all my tanks have them and i never have problems with nitrate. Good idea with the phosphate pad, but if you make the refugium you may not need one.

Oh yeah, and i DEMAND some pics!

[sheamurai]

ok, thanks - I'll start bumping up the salinity from now on. I just wasn't sure how long "to start with" was.
I have a aquaclear 110 I was thinking of making into a refugium - will that be big enough? Anymore than that I would think would be too much flow. I will look into calcium additive as well...
lol - not much to see in my tank yet except bloody diatoms...and I'm a little embarrassed to show how sad some of the corals look at the moment...

[sheamurai]

Well, here's my tank in its sad state...hopefully when I bump up the salinity, the corals will perk up a bit...

[sheamurai]

is there a trick to adjusting the skimmer? I get nothing but mircrobubbles in my tank. If I turn it up high = microbubbles and full cups of water. If I turn it down lower, the bubbles don't reach the top of the spout. I find a setting I think is good, then two hours later I have nothing, or full collection cups of water. five minutes ago I caught myself about to take the darn thing off as I can't see what good it is doing. Working at its best (so far) all I've seen out of it is green tinted water.
Am I missing something??

[Rue]

Try adjusting the water level in the tank. I have to do that to prevent microbubbles. Also make sure all your lines are clear. If anything at all gets 'plugged' up along the way - the system will suck air and create microbubbles as well.

[sheamurai]

Hmm, I have noticed the water level makes a difference. I'll have to pay more attention to that. As far as plugged up lines - its an HOB so theres precious little to get plugged, and its only 2 weeks old, lol. Intake tube looks clean at the moment.
I think I just have a skimmer that sucks, lol. I've read nothing good about it online. New one on order, but they are backordered and not available til the end of the month.
sigh.

[sheamurai]

Wow, those hermit crabs really do clean things up! I can see trails thru the diatoms where the crabs have eaten paths thru the mat - Death to Diatoms! lol