A 55G link in the Golden Chain

[Dentoid]

I like!
Can't wait to hear your experiences with this method. I will be following this thread closely! You may want to wait for the second shipment of rock before aquascaping, because it will be nicer rock. Full of life and prettier. When I ordered my package Richard sent several HHs that were not a part of the package. Wait until you see the sand come to life. Not like that bagged live sand that just sits there, worms, stars and all kinds of life will come out. I'm so excited for you!

[goldenmean]

24 hours later and the water has cleared up nicely and I have been able to do some preliminary aquascaping. As Scott recommends the real aquascaping will have to wait until I get part 2 of my LR.
Here are some more pics.

[Dentoid]

That looks great! Did you get a dry packet of starter bacteria with your package?

[goldenmean]

Did you get a dry packet of starter bacteria with your package?

Yes I did.
I knew they sent bacteria.
I just didnt know it was in a dry form.
I mixed it in 2 cups of tank water.
Let it dissolve for a couple of minutes.
then added it to the tank.
It reminded me of dry active yeast instead it was dry active bacteria.

I am testing twice a day for ammonia and I am to do a water change when ammonia gets over 1ppm.
I have an elos test kit but this test only reads ammonia at .05/.5/1.
So I bought another at the closest LFS (instant ocean)
which measures at .2/.4/.6/.8. It doesn't go to 1. but okay I can do a WC at .8
I have been testing using both test and getting very different readings.
Last night the elos test wasnt quite the same color at .5 so I figured about .4. The IO test read at .8
So to be safe I did a 10% WC.
Elos is supposed to be a better test kit but which do I believe.
I guess I need to go find a 3rd test kit and see what it reads.

But in the mean time it is time to test again.

[Dentoid]

I think you're suppose to leave the skimmer off for a couple of hours after adding the bacterial powder. I take it you are following the TBS instructions. You're a good tank mommy! Can't wait to see this one develope.

[goldenmean]

Post 1,000!
Woooooo Hooooooo!

I think you're suppose to leave the skimmer off for a couple of hours after adding the bacterial powder. I take it you are following the TBS instructions. You're a good tank mommy! Can't wait to see this one develope.

I did not turn on my skimmer until the next day.
It is a tunze 9005 and it wasnt creating any foam.
I knew it can take a few days for a new skimmer to break in but after 3 days it was not working. So I did a bad thing. I went to the tunze forum on another site. Sorry RS but I was desperate. Anyway the Tunze Dude told me what was wrong and I was able to fix it. @ minutes later I had a skimmer that foams. Yeah!
I am a good tank DAddy (not mommy) and will do whatever it takes for the well being of my tanks - even go to RC

Ammonia reading ealier today were:
elos test - .5
Intant Ocean test .8 - its highest reading.
So I did a 25% water change.
I dont really trust either of these ammonia tests
is IO reading high or is elos reading low or what?
Any ideas on ammonia testing?

[Dentoid]

The best thing to do in a case like this is average the two readings so 0.65.

[goldenmean]

Cool Discovery of the DAY:
The barnacles are feeding!
I wasn't even sure I had any living barnacles and tonight(after 3 days) they are feeding.
One rock has tons of them! some of the other rocks have just a few.

[lcstorc]

Congrats!
Those darn test kits drive me nuts. I have 4 different trate kits for the same reason. I just don't know which one to trust. GRRR

[goldenmean]

So my ammonia tests this morning
elos .05
IO - .8
errrggggg! After the 25% wc I was not expecting a .8 reading.

so after work I go to my favorite LFS to buy an Auto top off system.
I also buy a FasTest amonia test. I told the guy that I was having inconsistant test results among the 2 brands. He told me that FasTest is made by the same manufacturer as IO (Aquarium Systems). One little reason that They are my favorite LFS! I buy it anyway.
I go home and conduct three seperate ammonia tests.
IO - .8
Elos - .05
FasTest - .2 (actually the color was somewhere between 0 and .2)

The IO test and FasTest are identical type tests
but the regents are from different batches.
The fasTest has expiration date of 12/07
while IO is a newer batch with expiration in `09.

The conclusion I draw from this is that the IO test is out of wack!
I will continue with my 3 test experiment.

Cool Discovery of the Day.
Somethings have been excavation the sand under a few rocks.
One is a big bad crab. I have seen the pointy black claw and his mouth.
Another one may be the porcelain crab that I found the molt to yesterday.
I have just caught a glimps of him and what I have seen has been a light reddish/pink. These are just simple burrows in the substrate under a rock.

Someone else is doing some rather extensive excevation with a big open area in the front of the rock and a wall of shells and rubble in the back. It has also moved a big piece of shell that had been a few inches away into his back door burrow. I have not caught a glimps of this guy.
Maybe a pistol shrimp because of all the work, but I have heard no popping sounds at all.

[Dentoid]

Cool, brings me back to when I first got my LR! I love the "Cool Discovery of the Day". I don't think the porcelain crabs burrow, the ones I have just hang out in on the rocks. Now Gorilla crabs, pistols and mantis shrimps burrow. Definately sounds like a pistol where the major excavation is taking place. I got a pistol with my LR and I put in a Yellow Watchman goby that hosted with it within a few days. I very rarely see the shrimp, but I hear the popping!

[goldenmean]

Ammonia test this am
IO - .8
Elos - .05
FasTest - .2 (actually the color was somewhere between 0 and .2)
Time to throw away the IO test I think.

After I posted last night and after light out I heard a strang noise and it was coming from the tank. Kind of sounded like a circuit breaker tripping. I had also heard the same noise the night before but did not attrubute it to the tank. When i go to investigate futrher it stops of corse. Then I heard one pop again this morning when I was testing. So I think that I do have a pistol shrimp.
I like!

I was wondering if porcelain crabs were burrowing or not.
I just have not done my research yet.

[Dentoid]

Pistols sort of sound like those little pops from a toy pop gun. Remember those strips of red paper with the gun powder buttons that went into the toy pistol when you were a kid? That is what a pistol shrimp sounds like.

[goldenmean]

LAst nite test:
Ammonia Elos - .05 FasTest - .2
Nitrite .2
Nitrate 10

This Mornings test:
Ammonia Elos - .05 FasTest - 0
Nitrite .5
Nitrate 25

Cool discovery of the day.
The smalles hermit - The last 2 nights at around 3 am with the lights out.I have see the tiniest hermit crab.
Its shell is maybe 1/4" long and its legs are so small and all white.
He is really cute.
I tried to take a pic but it is too blurry to post.

[goldenmean]

This evenings test
Ammonia Elos - 0 FasTest - 0
Nitrite 1
Nitrate 50