Marksey's RSM 250 - Help Much Appreciated!

[nanoreefing4fun]

Pretty rock !

hard to see the HH coral, most of what I am seeing is the skeleton of coral that died, but I could be missing or can't see well what else you are seeing ... but nothing looks like a "bad" HH

 

[Marksey]

Pretty rock !

hard to see the HH coral, most of what I am seeing is the skeleton of coral that died, but I could be missing or can't see well what else you are seeing ... but nothing looks like a "bad" HH

On the first one, forgive the noobness, the red circular corals with a lighter middle

Second one, top left, pinkish beings lol

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

I see what you are looking at... just can't see it well enough for an id

see what others think...

 

[Mrsalt]

At first i thought candy canes or They could just be blasto's but they look so pale. Whatever they are I'm not sure going big on a cycle is going to make them survive. It would take longer but a slower cycle would be better with just adding a small amount of fish food daily, and decent water changes. If you can get hold of some dirty sand from a established tank this would help massively.
Another option is to let someone look after them and get them back once tank is up and cycled.

 

[Mrsalt]

I like the rockwork btw

Oh and the red circles could be red shrooms, but very hard to clearly see them.

 

[Marksey]

Just a quickie, Day 4, ran some tests and my Ammonia levels havent changed from 0.50 from Day 2, is it ok for no change considering I have live rock and live sand?

Also, have Aquascaped a little to try to space the rock formation out a bit for better filtration, also pointed my powerhead towards to the rocks, is that ok? Still getting some decent ripples on the surface

 

[goma]

Yeah, it can be tricky and its not always an exact science. What you are looking for is the drop to zero of ammonia and then the rise and fall of Nitrites. Keep testing.

 

[Marksey]

That graph helps a lot, thanks!

Looking at that it seems the ammonia starts to rise and continues to rise and doesn't plateau like my tests, do you think its worth introducing a dead shrimp to kick start?

 

[Joeys Tank]

Adding a small piece of shrimp wouldn't hurt. I did this a couple of days ago. My recommendation would be to put the shrimp in a short glass and put it up against one of the rocks. You may get lucky and catch a stray crab while you are at it

 

[goma]

+1 to above, a shrimp will always help to kick start a cycle.

 

[Marksey]

Day 5

Added 2 prawns last night and almost immediately 2 Isopods came out to have a munch on it, anything to worry about?

Also, got back from work just now to see some algae appearing, red or brown is colour over the sand in areas, see the piccys, can anybody identify what it is and is it normal?

Ran a set of tests and my Ammonia has gone up to .75ppm from .50ppm

 

[Joeys Tank]

If it is a red slimy film on your sand, then it is very likely cyanobacteria (the algae is their byproduct).

 

[Marksey]

If it is a red slimy film on your sand, then it is very likely cyanobacteria (the algae is their byproduct).

Had a closer look and it is not a slimy film it's more like small hairs

 

[Mark9]

If not cyano, either algae or diatoms.

 

[goma]

Probably nothing to worry about at this time. You'll go through several ugly stages until things mature and settle down. For now, keep testing and wait for your cycle to complete.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

+1 ^ diatoms would be a good guess... normal new tank progressing

pods are good if they want to help the shrimp decay & feed themselves all the better

 

[Marksey]

Bit of an update, took a sample of my tank down to the LFS to test as wasn't happy with the test kit i acquired when I bought the tank. The test rated 0ppm for both ammonia and nitrites and my nitrates were 5ppm so came home with my clean up crew!

Harry and Henry the Blue Leg Hermits
Marge and Homer the mated pair of Boxer Shrimp
Toast, Plate and Elephant the Turbos

That's what u get when your 5 and 7 year old are there naming them!

 

[DianaKay]

Keep a close watch on AMMONIA & NITRITE....with life in the tank this early in your set up, You should be prepared to do a large water change if you see an ammonia spike.

 

[Marksey]

I am running tests everyday to keep a close eye on it

 

[Big Pete]

Hi Marksey

Congrats on your new RSM250, i was in your position just a few months ago new to saltwater and totally out my depth(excuse the pun) but the best advice i have had from a member was take it slow, my tank cycled for nearly three months and just last week i added the first first fish and a few button polyps and i have to say its great.

enjoy your time with your tank and i am sure your kids will love it and its an education for them.

keep posting the pics and remember your in safe hands at Reef Sanctuary.

cheers

Big Pete