Jay's RSM 130C

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Layton128k

New Member
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d11/jaylhargis/Mobile Uploads/20140928_201358_zpszh1avtrv.jpg

Did I post that picture right?

Anywho,

Hello! I've recently started a RSM 130C and began my cycle about 10 days ago. Im using 20 lbs base pumani rock, 6 lbs live rock and 35 lbs live sand. I bought a container of already seeded Seachem Matrix from my LFS to help get things going. Additionally for 7 days I used Seachem Stability.

I initially saw a steady 1.2 Ammonia and after a couple days about .3-.4 Nitrite. I understand the basics of the cycle however 2 days ago, both Ammonia and Nitrites completely went away. I have seen very small signs of algae growth and no "blooms" like I've seen others describe. My Nitrates are off the chart and I understand that means I should water change. Would it be wise to not change water and continue to test for another week or do you all think its ok to water change and start some CUC?

Thanks for any guidance here.

-Jay
 
Joeys Tank

Joeys Tank

Well-Known Member
Jolly good morning. Great to see your tank thread!

Several members have a RSM130 and are very open to questions.

I think it is a great time to do a big WC (water change) around 33-40% to bring your nitrates down. After the WC, good time to add your CUC.
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Hi Jay - on your pic... right click & select Copy Image URL, then add it in this syntax and it will show up


Cheers for starting a tank thread - nice look LR, great start !

20140928_201358_zpszh1avtrv.jpg


on your cycle... 10 days in.... here is what I would do, but there more than one way to proceed... I would stop dosing Seachem Stability, as it is masking your test results....

I would stop dosing everything... add a raw deli shrimp & let it rot, then in a couple weeks... add anything alive

the Seachem Stability neutralizes ammonia & the nitrites - but I would not want to have to keep using it, I would want the tank to cycle naturally and not need it, having my LR convert the bioload.

WC wont hurt... you could be okay, depending on how cured yourLR was... but anytime I see dosing Seachem Stability, alarms go off... as it can make you think the tank is cycled
 
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Layton128k

New Member
It's also of note that there is certainly some life growing. There are small clams growing out of my base rock and small copepod creatures running/swimming around. I accidentally stirred up my substrate earlier today and send half a dozen flying around the tank.
 
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Layton128k

New Member

This has been slowly changing to a bright green and looking more alive every day. It came attached to a small live rock I bought at the lfs.
 
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Layton128k

New Member
So did a 40% WC and bought a small CUC of 10 blue leg hermits, 5 turbo snails, 10 nes snails, 5 cerinth and 1 sally light foot. Acclimating with drip. This is my first tank ever so it's all pretty exciting.
 
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Layton128k

New Member
Sally Lightfoot only made it 24 hours. I came home and she was upside down between two rocks and missing legs. I wonder if something pulled them off... could a hermit do that?
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
maybe he molted... this will often look exactly like your crab died, they go into hiding until their new shell hardens ... if not :( sorry you lost him
 
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melvis

Well-Known Member
I had something similar with a hitchhiker crab, I thought it had died on the live rock but turns out it had just shed and was hiding as nano said. Thankfully I got mine out as he wasn't a pleasant chap to have in there. Hoping yours just shed and hasn't been attacked by something more sinister.

I'm at a similar stage, having just acclimated my CUC today. Agree it's pretty damn exciting, if not slightly worrying now the new guys have gone in.

All the best .
 
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Layton128k

New Member
Thanks Melvis!

I'm working on an update now that my tank is about a month old. So far so good~! I was wondering though if this is Aiptasia forming or just some random thing. I read that Aiptasia will suck into holes when you disturb it but these definitely closed in on themselves when I touched them. They're extremely small right now and I'm wondering if I should try to remove them sooner rather than later.

 
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Layton128k

New Member
Here's pics - so far I have added my first clown pair, about 25 different snails/hermits (all blue leg), 2 peppermint shrimp, 2 emerald crabs (small male and female), and 5 coral frags - a mushroom (that I ordered online as a test and it looks like crap), an orange zoa, a candy cane lps and a duncan lps and a florida ricordea. I'm doing bi-weekly 5 gal water changes and using red sea coral pro salt. I am not going to add anything to the tank for another month to see how things progress. (I didn't intent to get so many coral early on....it just happened.)

So far I'm extremely happy I decided to do this. My father passed 3 years ago and he had a 150g salt aquarium but for whatever reason it never interested me other than to look at now and again. I figured this would be a good way to connect again and I was right.




 
Joeys Tank

Joeys Tank

Well-Known Member
Very nice! From my experience, the coral that shows up via the internet tends to come back to life after being in the tank for a few days. Give the mushroom a week and check in on it. Jet lag affects more than just people :)
 
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