NickF's RSM C130

[nanoreefing4fun]

Cheers for the pics Nick - very cool ! Seeing the open back, power center in the cabinet, media rack, new skimmer, new fan placement & new gate!

Might want to get your salinity up a bit, most run 1.026 for a reef tank and try to match the salinity of the ocean.

 

[NickF]

Thanks glen, I got the sw from the lfs. I'll start adding some salt now to get it up. I take it I can add directly to the tank still as there is only the live rock?

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

that should be fine while cycling, might mix it a bit, after anything alive is added ... you want to raise it very slowly ... topping off with sw

to not shock life on the LR, you might add a bit at a time over a few days anyway ... but all should be fine... just get it up a bit by the time 1st corals & fish go in after the tank cycles

 

[NickF]

Continuing with the Reef Mature Pro Kit:

days 4-5 - added 3ml no3po4-x

day 6 - tested:

salinity 1.024 (Been adding a little daily to get upto 1.026), temp 26.6, p/h 8.2, kh/alk 9 dkh, amonia 0.2, nitrate 20, nitrite 0

added:

3ml no3po4-x

I'm finding if difficult to read the test results, it's quite hard matching the colours.

The instructions say that I should start to see algae, cyanobacteria & diatoms but nothing yet:



Will keep you all posted, it's a good way for me to keep track

Thanks

 

[Wrangy]

Looks good mate!! Love the look of the new RSM tanks
Any thoughts on your stocking??

 

[NickF]

Looks good mate!! Love the look of the new RSM tanks
Any thoughts on your stocking??

Thanks.

The only definite so far will be a pair of clowns, there were some nice yellow belly damselfish and a great looking dragon wrasse at the lfs but I'm only going to get peaceful fish for now so probably a firefish or royal gramma. I want to add the fish slowly, just the clowns for a few weeks and see from there.

I'm open to ideas for some nice easy corals, I want to get a torch for some movement & a hammer, prob some zoas. Other than that I'm not sure.

 

[goma]

Take a look at this, look for Level 1 and 2 corals.

https://sites.google.com/a/asira.org/www2/caresheets

 

[NickF]

Bookmarked.

Cheers

 

[Wrangy]

Thanks.
The only definite so far will be a pair of clowns, there were some nice yellow belly damselfish and a great looking dragon wrasse at the lfs but I'm only going to get peaceful fish for now so probably a firefish or royal gramma. I want to add the fish slowly, just the clowns for a few weeks and see from there.
I'm open to ideas for some nice easy corals, I want to get a torch for some movement & a hammer, prob some zoas. Other than that I'm not sure.

Clowns and damsels will go well together as they'll be able to keep up with each other, they tend to get a bit aggressive after they have settled into the tank. Gramma's andfirefish are great colourful fish too I love my royal gramma Dragon wrasse may outgrow your tank by a little They need at least 125g of tank space so I would stay clear of those. Sixline, possum and pink streak wrasse's are all fantastic additions and suitable for your tank
Zoa's, morph's, ricordea's, hammer's, torch's, frogspawn, plate corals and brain (lobophyllia) are all some easy to keep fantastically colourful corals that you could add and they're all easy to care for

 

[NickF]

Reef Mature Pro Kit:

day 7 - tested:

salinity 1.025, temp 26.4, p/h 8.2, kh/alk 9 dkh, amonia 0.2, nitrate 20, nitrite 0

did 5% water change

added:

5ml nitro bac, 10ml bacto-start, 3 ml no3po4-x

days 8-9 - added 3ml no3po4-x

After day 10 it says I should add my cuc so I think I'll add some at the weekend, although it also says I can add 1 fish after 14 days which I'm not sure about. I thought I had to see nitrates drop & nitrites rise first, I think I'll just see where I'm at on day 14 first.

 

[goma]

Good idea to give it a few more days, you still have a slight bit of ammonia so it's best to wait.

 

[NickF]

Reef Mature Pro Kit:

day 10 - tested:

salinity 1.025, temp 26.9, amonia 0, nitrate 15, nitrite 0

added:

5ml nitro bac, 5ml bacto-start, 3 ml no3po4-x

Have now got algae growing on the rock:



I've purchased 8 turbo snails & a fire shrimp, which dissapeared behind some rocks and hasn't moved yet.
Couple of the snails:





The snail at the front hasn't moved since I put them in, not sure if it's dead.

 

[goma]

Give him time, they can sometimes take a while to acclimate.

 

[NickF]

My water is getting very cloudy & I can see hundreds of microscopic white bugs in the water & crawling on the back wall & glass. Is this just part of the cycle or something I should be worried about? Would adding filter floss help clear the water or should I just wait?

 

[goma]

It is probably an algae or bacteria bloom, these happen a lot in new tanks. Give it time and it should go away on its own.

 

[DianaKay]

My water is getting very cloudy & I can see hundreds of microscopic white bugs in the water & crawling on the back wall & glass. Is this just part of the cycle or something I should be worried about? Would adding filter floss help clear the water or should I just wait?

New tank = No Worries. It will clear up & probably start another cycle of something else.
An outbreak of Copepods is a very good thing too...good for your tank.
Post pictures if you can get some of the little bugs.

 

[NickF]

Hi Goma/Diana, thanks for the replies.

I've tried to take a photo of them but my phone camera doesn't want to focus on them as they are tiny.

Here's the best one I got:



The water seems a bit clearer today.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/copepod2.html

 

[NickF]

days 11-13 - added 3 ml no3po4-x

day 14 - tested:

salinity 1.026, temp 26.9, p/h 8.2, kh/alk 9 dkh, amonia 0, nitrate 20, nitrite 0

did 5% water change

added: 3 ml no3po4-x

day 15 - added 3 ml 3 ml no3po4-x

It says I can add 1 fish on day 14, but it also says my nitrate should be approx 5ppm, so I'll wait until they drop. Is it right that when the nitrates drop & the nitrites rise I should do a large water change and I should be ok to add fish then?

I was thinking of adding a couple of corals at the weekend, would that be ok?

Thanks

 

[ziggy]

you have the dropping thing backwards. when nitites and ammonia drops to zero and nitrates rise and are that way for a few days then you're ready for a major water change to get your nitrates to below 10 would be fine. sounds like you're there. do a 40% water change and measure the nitrate level. if below 15 you can add your clean up crew (CUC) because the snails will tolerate a nitrate of < 15. continue water changes of 5% to 10% every 3rd day to a week until the nitrates finally get to below 10.

Then if you CUC has been in there for a week you can add 1 livestock item, or a paired fish group once every 3 to 4 weeks so the bio load has time to SLOWLY adjust to the load.

DO NOT RUSH IT. Patience is the key if you want to see your livestock survive.

You're certainly on your way.