1st SW/Reef Tank: 14g BioCube

[wannenmacher]

looks good keep up the good work

[djbacon]

heya, welcome aboard, fellow BC 14 owner here - need a bigger tank :-)

keep at it - its gonna be lots of fun

[astiesi]

The cycle has begun...

Here are my current test results two days after dropping in a deli shrimp:

NH3 - 0.25
NO2 - 1.0
NO3 - 20

I do have a question for anybody paying attention. Should I perform a water change once the NO3 levels reach 30-40? I know this will slow down the cycle however I have read that it will help control algae and will be better for any HH that may have come in with the LR.

[tippMANn98]

IMO I would wait to do a water change when the cycle comes to an end. before you add livestock, just to get minerals and dissolved elements refreshed.

[astiesi]

Just an update...

NH3 - 0
NO2 - 0
NO3 - 20

I am also in the midst of an algae bloom as I have brown algae growing just about everywhere. I have steadily been adding food to the tank, in fine mesh bags as to not spoil the water, to provide organic materials to feed the bacteria colonies. I have not seen any NH3 or NO2 readings > 0 in about a week.

Will continue to monitor...

On a side note, I found a small starfish that came in with the live rock. It is white and about 1/4 inch across. Once I can find it again I'll try to get a picture in order to get an ID.

[AndtheBonus]

Looks good. Lets see more pics

[astiesi]

I haven't seen the starfish again, hopefully he'll reappear at some point.

I believe it is time for a cleanup crew. Its been 3 weeks since setup, 2 weeks since any NH3 or NO2 readings.

I ordered 8 nassarius and 4 nerite snails to start with. They should be here by the end of the week. I may also get a cleaner or fire shrimp at that point from the LFS but I'm in no rush.

My latest water parameters:

NH3 - 0
NO2 - 0
NO3 - 20

I performed a water change this evening after testing the water and I will recheck NO3 and also verify salinity, pH, alk, and calcium tomorrow. If everything checks out the tank will be ready for the snails. I will update with pics at that point since there is currently nothing to take pics of except diatoms.

[astiesi]

First full water test:

pH - 8.2
Salinity - 1.025
NH3 - 0
NO2 - 0
NO3 - 20
Calcium - 440
kH - 14 dKH
Phosphates - 0.5
Temp - 82 degrees - goes from 80 at dawn to 82 with the lights on.

The carbonate hardness seemed a bit high, not sure if it is anything to worry about. I'm going to perform another water change this weekend to get the nitrates down further.

[astiesi]

Finally an update worthy of a pic. I have added the snails and all appears well. I then stopped by the LFS and found my first fish occupant. Its a tank raised true perc clown. Its only about an inch in size and has been eating well since day one.



I was a bit bummed as I was looking forward to picking up a small coral or two to start with but I didn't like the health of many of frags that were for sale on Saturday. I'll try again next week and see how they look.

The water params are all doing well. Still a bit of hair algae on the rocks but the snails are doing a good job of slowly winning the war. Here is an FTS.

[nstiesi]

Dude, that Perc is sweet! I'll see him in person soon enough.

[turn8299]

Welcome and nice start so far, even though you are a Gator fan! J/K

[astiesi]

Finally picked up my first coral today. I went to the LFS looking for zoa frags or mushrooms and came home with a purple hammer coral. They were priced right and looked to be in great health. It has already begun to open, will add some pics tomorrow. I've heard clowns will sometimes host in hammers which would be very cool.

I also got a small frag of GSP which I split with my brother before adding it to my tank. For only $5 we figured why not. These polyps have yet to open, hopefully by tomorrow I'll be able to get a good picture.

I'm still looking for some really nice zoa frags or mushrooms as I am planning to populate the tank with mostly these. If anybody knows a good LFS in South Florida let me know.

[AndtheBonus]

Looking great! Love the perc

[nstiesi]

any pics of the new corals?

[reefsmoker]

Originally Posted by astiesi

Just an update...

NH3 - 0
NO2 - 0
NO3 - 20

I am also in the midst of an algae bloom as I have brown algae growing just about everywhere. I have steadily been adding food to the tank, in fine mesh bags as to not spoil the water, to provide organic materials to feed the bacteria colonies. I have not seen any NH3 or NO2 readings > 0 in about a week.

Will continue to monitor...

On a side note, I found a small starfish that came in with the live rock. It is white and about 1/4 inch across. Once I can find it again I'll try to get a picture in order to get an ID.

are you cycling with lights on? you shouldn't you'll get false reading because that algae will lock up nutrients therefore making you Bactria work harder/i.e cycle longer... just a heads up =)