Newbie

[skinson]

Yeah! I mix more until it's right, then morning after it's dropped again!! it's at about 1019.
Dave

 

[skinson]

Hello again! Today I noticed my L/R is giving off tiny bubbles is this ok?
Dave

 

[reefman23]

Are you sure you dont have a leak that you are compensating with RO water? That is one of the only reasons I could see for a drop in salinity.

Are the bubbles comping out of your rock or off of algae? Sometimes some algaes givve off gas bubbles.

Jesse

 

[skinson]

The bubbles may be coming off the algae on the rocks.
Definitely not got a leak the water level is staying the same! I'll add more salt and see how it goes.
Regards
Dave

 

[reefman23]

The bubbles may be coming off the algae on the rocks.
Definitely not got a leak the water level is staying the same! I'll add more salt and see how it goes.
Regards
Dave

I would remove some of the water from your tank and put it in a bucket, mix the salt thoroughly in the bucket, then add it back to the tank. Let us know how it goes.

Jesse

 

[skinson]

Thanks reefman :stonight I usually remove a couple of litres in a jug add more salt then put it back in the tank. I'll leave it tonight (uk time LOL.) and add some more in the morning. I found an old wine hydrometer I used to use when making wine a few years back, this is calibrated at 20c though, so using a conversion table to get it to the right temp it comes out at about 1020/1021.
regards
Dave

 

[skinson]

The salinity seems to have settled now at 1022/3. I have put a small piece of prawn in the tank today is this the right thing to do? If so How long do I leave it in/
regards
Dave

 

[reefman23]

Take the prawn out... there is no need for it. The LR has more than enough bacteria to get your biological cycle going.

Jesse

 

[skinson]

Thanks again reefman :maitre I'll whip that little devil out right now...LOL
Spotted more hitchikers today, looked like tiny centipedes but in white! And a few fairy tree like things.
regards
Dave

 

[jay]

Skinson.
Check out this Thread by "drty811".

Thread Link : http://www.nanotank.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3600

I found it helpful when I first started out my tank. It has pics and a little description of things that you can find in your tank. It will tell you if something is good or bad to keep in your tank.

HTH,
J

 

[reefman23]

That is definitely a useful link.

Jesse

 

[skinson]

Starting to get a brown covering on my sand! is this ok? Salinty stable now at 1022. temp 26c Also thinking of either a small filter or a power head in the third chamber connected to the spray bar, good idea?
Dave

 

[aquemeni5110]

The brown covering your sand is called diatom. It may look like brown algae. It is perfectly normal.

 

[skinson]

Again I'm in your debt! Thanks. I'm going to test all the params tomorrow again, it will be a week since the tank was set off running. Do you think I could start with a small clean up crew if they are all ok? What about the small powerhead/filter idea?
regards
Dave

 

[KidNano]

The aptiasia- Jesse posted somewhere to blast them with Boiling water in a turkey baster which I did and it worked beautifully and was free. Just make sure you use good waterand hit them a few times. I took out some tank water boiled it and scorched the little buggers. haven't seen them sinc ;-) e.

 

[skinson]

Did another full set of tests today one week after setting my tank off


PH----------8.2

ALK---------1.0

nitrite-----0.0

nitrate-----0.0

amm---------0.0

salinity -------1022


can I start adding a small cleaner or two?
Dave

 

[skinson]

Put three hermits in today...Wow do they eat!!! within an hour all the diatoms on the sandbed had gone...
Dave

 

[reefman23]

What test are you using for your Alk? 1.0 meq/L is very low... 1.0 dKH is even lower... which measurement is that in? I would suggest >2.8 dKH (>8.0 meq/L). Everything else sounds good.

What kind of hermits did you get?

Jesse

 

[skinson]

Marine lab test kit you add three reagents,wait 15 mins and check against a colour chart. It is the same colour as 0-1? The crabs have orange tips to their legs, and look like bumble bees in a shell!!
Dave