Wow, thanks for the compliments!
Yeah, about 3 monts is what it's been. I had the advantage of taking already cycled
LR out of the
sump of my 120 and combining it with some base rock, so I saved some time in that there wasn't much of a cycle. A lot of people will tell you a nano isn't the best way to go for a first marine tank. They're right in all the reasons they give. A large tank is more forgiving, and allows for more livestock, but it's my experience that nano's can be very successful first tanks for people. Particularly if they have been a successful in keeping freshwater tanks in the past. Nano's require attention to detail, and constant monitoring of water quality, but it's certainly doable. Being an engineer is probably a huge help here
The best general advice I can give is to go slow, keep on top of testing your water, keep up the regular water changes, don't be affraid to ask questions (here or elsewhere), and don't be affraid to fail. Everyone has setbacks (wheather they admit it or not), it's a part of te hobby, but don't let them discourage you.
I'll also say that you are probably pretty close to fully stocked as far as fishies and inverts go. I'd say add a few snails and call it a day. Corals add very littel to the bio load, so don't worry about that too much.
What are you planning to stock as far as corals? A "zoa garden" or somthing else? I don't know if there's one in your area, but if there is, I'd strongl suggest joing a local reefing club. My local club has been a great source of corals for this tank. If you don't have a local club, and the
LFS doesn't stock what you want, try asking them to order it for you. If they can't, there are a ton of great mail order companies. Most corals can be shipped by mail with no problem. you'll pay an arm and a leg in shipping usualy, but that's the price you pay I guess.
it sounds like you are off to a great start. Feel free to ask any questions you like either in this thread, or on this site. You should start a tank build thread. The folks here are great, and TR is free of a lot of the BS you'll run into at some of the other forums.
Thanks again for checking out the thread, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
