And the process starts....

[kynekke]

Not a question... just wanted to jump up and down and get all excited but no one at works seems to care LOL I set it all up last night.. finally put the tank on the stand, filled it with purified water, salt, filter and powerhead and right now it's just running.. figured I'd mix the salt last night and check SG after work.

And there she sits... Dolomite goes in today and LR/LS go in Tuesday. I think I'll do the shrimp thing tomorrow to start the cycle.

 

[lexluethar]

Looks great - how many gallons? When you start the cycle w/ a shrimp how long do you keep it in the tank b4 taking it out?
Looks good so far, post pics once you get the LR

 

[reefkprz]

I can tell your exited, you didnt even take the tag off the end of the 2x4...

Have fun.

 

[kynekke]

LOL It's on the underside of the glass and says who made it... figured eeeh, I'll leave credit where credit is due.

 

[kynekke]

On day 3! I added CC yesterday after spending 3 hours cleaning out the dead coral and some dead critters (eeew). This morning was better because a lot of the muck had settled to the bottom, not all of it but most so it's still kind of murkey. I decided to stick with the CC even though it needs more maintenance just because I'm spending a fortune as is and I already had this.

Today I had a LONG conversation with the SWF LFS and decided not to try the dead shrimp trick for cycling but to put in 2 tiny LRs. I put in 1.5lbs of LR to start the cycle, the rest of my LR (55lbs total) comes in later this week. I'm hoping the 1.5lbs at least starts the cycle somewhat and the LFS said it should.

My current temperature is 80 deg and holding. SG/Salinity is at 1.025.

 

[reefforbrains]

I thought you were leak testing, and using the 2x4 as a means just to lift the bottom for inspection.
Your leaveing the 2x4's under it?

 

[kynekke]

I was just going to leave it... the stand we bought was for fish tank but had no bottom support for the tank... the guy we bought it from said the glass would hold but that made me nervous so I put boards under. Is that bad?

 

[keith burn]

no but imo put is on stand looks better and the water weight in on the sides not in the middle if it so it will be ok...

 

[autofreak44]

looks great! 2 suggestions:
1) chuck the timer/powerstrip and get a seprate timer and powerstrip instead of the combo because i have heard nothing but bad things about them
2) i would get rid of the 2x4's but thats just me.
also imo i like my tanks to be at 78-79 but i dont think that a degree is going to matter
good luck!

 

[kynekke]

And there were lights.... I'm only going to have them on while I'm rock watching (my new hobby). So maybe 2-3 hours a day.

Guess what!?? I'm such a geek.. but we all know that. I already have critters on the rock I bought yesterday! I thought for sure I wouldn't have anything visible for weeks but I have one rock that has about 5 "things" and I just can't stop watching them ***)

Here's a closeup of my favorite thing to view.. it's kind of fuzzy but you can maybe see what it is. He's VERY active and there are 2 of them.

Who knew rocks could be this exciting!?!

 

[kynekke]

Oh, do I need to feed these critters in my rock and if so, what do I feed them and how? I hadn't even considered the Live Rock inhabitants might need food :thinking:

 

[kynekke]

I think my favorite guys are featherduster worms... bumping to see how I can keep them alive, I'm afraid they are going to starve

 

[mace]

A few thoughts
1)I would change the CC to sand, Live sand if you can get it.
2)Add more Live Rock.
Off to a good start though!!!

 

[coachklm]

agree with above..
and you can feed to help the cycle . your ammonia wont spike to noticable amounts with 1.5 lbs of LR. but the breakdown of false feedings will.

 

[kynekke]

I already have 55 lbs of Live Rock coming this week... the 1.5 lbs was just for something to be in my boring little tank until then, bought it at the LFS. As for the CC I know it needs vacuumed to reduce the nitrate harborers but what other reasons should I not have it? I kinda like it but I do have some LS coming this week to add to it because I didn't think there's enough.
Oh, and on the timer... that was a gift from DH and he's anti-tank so I can't really get rid of it, what's the downfall of a timer on a powerstrip? I can maybe hide another timer behind the tank he won't know about and use the powerstrip as just that.

 

[nick76]

Most people suggest sand because it basically takes care of itself along with a cleanup crew. CC traps detris and nitrates and must be constantly vacumed or it can cause nitrate spikes that will kill your livestock, however if its worth the extra effort by all means go for it. Its just harder to maintain.
Oh that last picture looks like a pest anenome. U may want to pluck it now before it spreads.

 

[spanko]

CC is not necessarily bad depending on the size. Yours looks large and the problems you may encounter are the CUC you get cannot effectively get into it to clean well enough and you will have to manually clean it which disturbs the stuff in it clouding the tank and putting into suspension the stuff that will again settle down. The other problem is if you get anything that likes to burrow, Goby-Serpent star- Etc, they are much better off in sand.
Many people use the coral - some wish they had not- totally up to you.
JMO FWIW

 

[kanicky]

I am so excited for you! This IS an exciting thing, after all!
As far as CC goes, the above does hold true, but you also won't be able to have some fish/inverts if you stick with CC. I guess you could research what fish/inverts need sand, and if they're not any you want anyway, and you still want to go with CC, then by all means, go with it.
We put CC in when we first got our tank, but after a day or two, I didn't really like the way it looked, especially once algae started spotting on it. Yuck!
It's all about personal preference and how much work you want to put into keeping the tank clean and running properly. Some people have used CC for years and have had no issues. If you search the forums you will find many a thread with the CC vs. LS debate :thinking:
Anyway, keep us updated!

 

[kynekke]

Pluck them? Oooh how? There are 5 on that rock and if you get anywhere near them they disappear into the rock somewhere

ETA : I found this picture on a website of that annoying anenome and mine doesn't look quite like that.. the tentacles look more like feathers, not quite so round and solid

 

[spanko]

It may just be a feather duster worm. Can you get a better pic?