8 days into the oh-so-captivating drama that is a new tank cycle. Our narrator looks into the new seahorse aquarium in his den, and with an intensity usually only associated with the gladiators of old, grabs his trusty syringe and draws out the water for his chemistry tests. His steely eyes focus on the rim of the test tube as he adds, drop by drop, the mysterious reagents that will help him divine the future of this aquatic refuge. The results come in.....
pH: 7.8
Ammonia: 0.3
'Trites: 0.8
Hmm. I don't buy it. I'll be starting the straight ammonia trick tonight or tomorrow methinks. I glooped a decent amount of microbelift gel onto the rock and the bioballs in the sump before I filled the tank last week, but still.....I just don't buy it.
On the other hand, I came home today to a tank that was pretty hazy on the inside glass, presumably from bacteria. Too pale to be diatoms, and a little too soon I think.
I still haven't turned off my chilly new toy, and this morning when I checked the temp the tank was sitting at a brisk 69 degrees. Turned on the tank lights, turned up the AC (we keep it at 74 at night, 77 during the day), and the temp climbed to 75 for the daytime hours. That's with a glass lid over the tank trapping heat, so I'll try taking the lid off and seeing if the temperature difference is worth the evaporation aggravation. If the lid comes off I'll also have to do a netting top or rethink my longfin fairy wrasse.
