Aquarium
From SagaWiki
Monday August 20 2007:
- I have purchased from fish store and more a few things. Jesse has loaned me a tank, filter, pump, and heater. As of 10:36 I am trying to get the salt levels correct. I was trying to put too little salt in, but ended up with too much (though I don't know how). This does not bode well.
- Regardless, here is how things first looked.
Tuesday August 21 2007:
- I finally got the salt levels right. I have a bio wheel and heater running. The tank is around 80 degrees with hellish evaporation. Jesse has suggested I get a lid, which I will. I stopped by Pet Co. to look at toys/fish/live rock. They didn't have too much. Also my tank seems to be running a little high on mineral content.
Wednesday August 22 2007:
- I went back to The Fish Store and More to get a lid and some live rock. I talked for a while with Porter and he gave me pointers on how to take this from here on out. Most of what he said was clarifications of things that I had heard, but it has given me a good vision. I have put the rock in the tank, taken some water our. Also, apparently my salt levels were correct before. I was targeting 1.022 specific gravity, but I should have been going for 1.025. Also Porter said that my mineral levels were ok, and that they would be high at first.
Thursday August 23 2007:
- It seems that the lid helped with my evaporation. Also, I have been feeding my live rock. No Nitrites/nitrates yet but it should take off in a few days.
Friday August 24:
- Here is a picture of my tank right after I put the live rock in. It is much clearer now, but I havn't gotten a new picture.
Saturday and Sunday August 25 and 26
- So let this be a lesson, test strips suck. I bought every test I needed in strip form, used them for a week, and I kept getting weird (WEIRD) results. Of course I am worried like a new parent that my poor 10 gallon may be turning into acid soup. When I got the bright idea to test some pure water and got similar results; however, I realized my mistakes. Now I have wet tests and everything is where it should be.
- Meanwhile, I have some new bivalves crawling out of the live rock and playing in the tank.
Monday August 27 2007
- My tank is beginning to cycle and has detectable levels of ammonia and nitrate (I have not run the nitrite test yet). I should be able to get fish in it in a week or two. I am still a little worried about my PH. The buffer I bought is for 20 gallons, and I only have a ten gallon tank. My Ph is fine (a little low actually, but stable).
Wednesday August 29 2007
- So I saw several interesting things today. First, I have 4 barnacles/bivalves crawling around. Second, I have these weird green string things in my tank which can roll up and carry small rocks. Third, I hard two or three red crawling things which are either fuzzy worms or some form of centepede. Yay for live rock!
- Update, so ok, 10 minutes on Google these things are bristle worms and are either fun parts of the ecosystem or shitty stinging painful pests. I am not sure which, but maybe I will get a nice crab or something to EAT THEM.
Thursday September 12 2007
It has been a while since my last update, however cycling is complete and my aquarium has two new occupants. The first is a piece of dead rock Jesse got me, and the second is a banded coral shrimp named Scamp. Yes it is short for shrimp scampi. I will post my pictures shortly, but I look forward to growing the tank. I am going to get some lights to put on it to make tank grow plant life for Scamp and his prey to gnaw on.
Meanwhile the idea of setting up a freshwater work tank is seeming better and better.
Sunday September 16 2007
Scamp molted last night! I woke up this morning and saw him sitting on his usual perch, and then saw around him bits of arm, antennae, a full claw all protruding from the rock. It took me a minute to realize what had happened. He had molted during the night and the critters that live on the live rock had pulled his leftovers in to munch. Isn't the cycle of life great friends? Meanwhile I am going to watch for ammonia spikes from his decaying bits.
Currently the water is brewing for my first partial water change of the tank. I am going for 1 gallon (10%).
Tuesday September 18 2007
Water change went well, shrimp is fun to watch eat. I also got a lamp from Jesse and two compact fluorescent bulbs. I have it running all day today and hope that t won't evaporate too badly. Yes i know I promised shrimp pics, but I am lazy.
Thursday September 27
Sorry it has been more than a week guys. Scamp is doing well ,I have added a protein skimmer and a 4 pound chunk of live rock. My nitrates are up the high side so I have cut back on feeding. However, when I went to check on the guy tonight I saw something strange in his pinchers. Apparently Scamp has decided that the bristle worms are good eating, and I am going to let him enjoy those things all he wants.
Meanwhile I am playing the waiting game, I am not going to do a fish tank, but I will try for an invert only mini reef.
Jesse has mentioned that he wants to get his 29 tank going as a salt water tank.
Sunday September 30 2007
Scamp molted again, and Jesse found a lid for the filter. Also, he has a spare power head.
October 5 2007
Still doing water changes because of nitrate elevation. I am looking into geting a power head to stir up the plants and coralline algae.
October 7 2007
So jesse and I went to the fish store. They had a massive sell off because they are moving. I went ahead and bought a power head, mineral supplements, etc. The power head is installed and running. hopefully I will be able to get my coral going and get my nitrate level down.
October 9 2007
Crap, I have been putting too much of one of the supplements in.
October 13 2007
So several weeks of water changes, lighting, supplements, etc later I have finally gotten my nitrates to begin to stabilize. I don't know if they ar eon the final dorp but it looks like some nitrafying bacteria have taken up residence in my powerhead filter. Today I noticed a thick layer of bubbles on it. Also I realized my protein skimmer had been on the low setting. So it looks like I got a series of things that works. Meanwhile I am musing a work tank, but I am not sure what to put in it.
October 14 2007
So my nitrates are beginning to drop as I get some algae to grow. Right now it is rather ugly, but the going theory is that whenever I lower nitrates I will add some snails to control the algae and then add in some plants to compete for nitrates. The theory being that the snails will eat algae on the tank walls and the plants will keep nitrates low. Once I have this stable I should be able to get some corals and other neat things.
October 18 2007
Scamp molted again. Lso my algae is really starting to take off, nitrates are higher than I want but rather level.
Meanwhile Jesse Joe is using a 29 next to the 10 as a molly tank. He is going to adapt them to salt from fresh. My water from changes is going into his tank. Yay water restrictions.
Also, sinceThe Fish Store is moving, I have started looking around for better ones. Does anyone have suggestions/reviews?
October 28 2007
It was a busy week for the tank. I got 5 blue legged hermit crabs, 3 turbo snails, did a few water changes and also started scraping excess algae off the glass. I havn't gotten any macros yet but it is on my to do list as well as more live rock and maybe some de-nitrate filters. Yeah I am going the chemical instead of the natural way. I think I just didn't know enough when I was starting the tank.
In other news we got a stand for the 75 gallon and Jesse is thinking about keeping discus in it. Wish us luck.
November 09 2007
Sorry I have been lame in keeping this up to date. There honestly hasn't been much news about the tank to tell. That may change very soon though. Jesse is breaking down his 33 gallon tank and putting its contents into the 75 gallon. I am thinking about taking the 33 and using it to house the scamp show. The 10 gallon I will use as a nitrate sink. This will give me a chance to put into practice some things I have learned, as well as do some much needed rockscaping.
November 17 2007
Still reading up on plumbing for the big move. Let me know what you guys know if you have any ideas.
January 10 2008
Happy new year everyone! I got a new protein skimmer, ten gallon, 33 gallon, stand, and accessories over the break and I have been slowly assembling them together into a new reef setup. Hopefully this weekend I will keep water in it and post some pictures.
March 23 2008
The new tank has been up and running for a month now. I have added in new lights, 30 pounds of live rock, several crabs and snails, and lots of interesting species I can't identify. Also, my sump has reduced my nitrates to zero and I have a first start at some new coralline algae colonies.
May 15 2008
I bought 3 coral frags at Cappuccino Bay last night. I have a hammer coral, candy cane coral, and two species of zoa. After these guys start getting big I will add in fish.