Hey gang...
Just returned from my mini-vacation. If you were following along in my other post, I was concerned about adding live rock to start a cycle for which I wouldn't be present. Well, it looks like everything is going well...
When I started the cycle by adding live rock and a cup of live sand to the tank on 12/18/2004, my water tests gave the following readings:
ammonia: 0.8+ mg/L
nitrite: 0.4 mg/L
nitrate: ~0 mg/L
pH: 8.0
temp and SG normal
On 12/20/2004, I got:
ammonia: 0.4 mg/L
nitrite: 0.4 mg/L
nitrate: ~0 mg/L
pH: 8.4
temp, SG normal
Upon returning home today, I found the tank was disgusting with brown (and a very small amount of green) algae on the sand, rock and some on the glass. I tested the parameters:
ammonia: 0 mg/L (?? - suprised me, 0 already?)
nitrite: 0.2 mg/L (??? - again, surprised me... it was probably even closer to 0.0 mg/L, but I erred on the conservative side)
nitrate: 0.0 mg/L (???? - how can it be? I have chaeto in the 'fuge - could this be helping keep nitrates so low? That is, consuming the nitrate as fast as it is produced?)
pH: 8.2
temp, SG normal
Some interesting points: the brown algae (which, according to my comparison of photos on reefcentral.com) looks like diatoms. I also read that this outbreak is common at the 2nd or 3rd week. What is weird is that the algae is really only growing on the areas where I added the lives sand to the tank and on the live rock. The dead rock and dead sand shows just a bit of algae, but not nearly as much as on the "live" areas. What causes this? Are the nutrients only present on the live rock and sand? Or, did the algae come in with this live rock and sand? I ran the tank lights (96W PC) for 8 hours a day... the light above the 'fuge (15W PC) simultaneously (that is, not an opposing light period).
Since my ammonia and nitrite read 0, can I feel safe in adding a cleanup crew... maybe just some hermits to start? (I understand snails might not make it until all params are perfect.) I would be happy to watch something in the tank and hope they might clean up some of this mess.
Also, my clams are still hanging in there... the trio looks happy! So far, so good...
Looking for some input and suggestions...
Just returned from my mini-vacation. If you were following along in my other post, I was concerned about adding live rock to start a cycle for which I wouldn't be present. Well, it looks like everything is going well...
When I started the cycle by adding live rock and a cup of live sand to the tank on 12/18/2004, my water tests gave the following readings:
ammonia: 0.8+ mg/L
nitrite: 0.4 mg/L
nitrate: ~0 mg/L
pH: 8.0
temp and SG normal
On 12/20/2004, I got:
ammonia: 0.4 mg/L
nitrite: 0.4 mg/L
nitrate: ~0 mg/L
pH: 8.4
temp, SG normal
Upon returning home today, I found the tank was disgusting with brown (and a very small amount of green) algae on the sand, rock and some on the glass. I tested the parameters:
ammonia: 0 mg/L (?? - suprised me, 0 already?)
nitrite: 0.2 mg/L (??? - again, surprised me... it was probably even closer to 0.0 mg/L, but I erred on the conservative side)
nitrate: 0.0 mg/L (???? - how can it be? I have chaeto in the 'fuge - could this be helping keep nitrates so low? That is, consuming the nitrate as fast as it is produced?)
pH: 8.2
temp, SG normal
Some interesting points: the brown algae (which, according to my comparison of photos on reefcentral.com) looks like diatoms. I also read that this outbreak is common at the 2nd or 3rd week. What is weird is that the algae is really only growing on the areas where I added the lives sand to the tank and on the live rock. The dead rock and dead sand shows just a bit of algae, but not nearly as much as on the "live" areas. What causes this? Are the nutrients only present on the live rock and sand? Or, did the algae come in with this live rock and sand? I ran the tank lights (96W PC) for 8 hours a day... the light above the 'fuge (15W PC) simultaneously (that is, not an opposing light period).
Since my ammonia and nitrite read 0, can I feel safe in adding a cleanup crew... maybe just some hermits to start? (I understand snails might not make it until all params are perfect.) I would be happy to watch something in the tank and hope they might clean up some of this mess.
Also, my clams are still hanging in there... the trio looks happy! So far, so good...
Looking for some input and suggestions...
