Well, it finally arrived!!! :dance:

We've been waiting 6 weeks for the darn thing to get here. And then they didn't get the MegaFlow sump in - which is OK. We are going to use a 15g tall instead.

BUT I forgot to get the tubing to go from the overflow to the sump. I ran to Lowes and bough 3/4" and 1" tubing, only to find out I need 1 1/4" rather than 1". :wow:

But that's OK cause we are painting the back tonight. I took pics of the stack of parts. I'll post them later, probably tomorrow. :fish:

Wish us luck!

Don

Good Luck! :up:

Hi Don,

That's exciting! I have returned tubing to Lowes's myself a couple of times.:)

Yay for you! It's exciting to start a new tank & congrats! Look forward to seeing some pictures & watching your progress. :up:

Well, here we go -

Then we added RO/DI with SeaChem Reef Salt, Sand, the skimmer. This was all on Saturday 7/21.

Then we added completely cured (6 weeks) LR and seeding LS (to the sump) from the local reef store. This was Sunday 7/22.

And as silly as it sounds - I tested the water.

Sunday Night - Ammonia .3, Nitrite .2, pH 8.2, Alkalinity 8.4 dkH

Monday - SG 1.025 - Reef store's refractometer

Tuesday Night - Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, pH 8.2, Alkalinity 8.4 dkH

I'm still waiting for my Nitrate, Phoshate, Calcium test kits as well as my refractometer.

I know that I can not possibly have finished cycling in 3 days (or can I with completely cured LR), but I am excited none the less.


Please wish me luck (or pray for me) that this all goes well, and quickly. I'm not sure how long I can keep my wife at bay with adding critters, even though she has read all about cycling...

Don

And YES, the sand is BLACK - my wife just had to have black sand.

And then she read about white sand reflecting light and helping with coral growth (really???).

But she likes the look...

best of luck with the new tank. i have a bow front 54G as well and it is great.

i know its hard to wait to stock your tank but it is worth it.

keep us informed on how you are getting on

I like the black sand with the black tank trim and stand. Remember in this hobby nothing good happens fast.

that one went up really quick, but it looks really good :D

Yes -it did go up fast. I had everything lined up so that I could get it installed and filled over the weekend. Besides, my wife REALLY wanted it up. We'd been waiting for the tank for 6 weeks. I could have waited - NOT!

Anyway, I ordered my Solaris 24" 20K 250W fixture last night. I found a wonderful deal on a refurb. I just couldn't pass it up.

I know that I do not need the lighting yet, as I am still cycling, but it was a great deal.

Should be here on Friday7/27...

Don

Cool, I think you will like the Solaris.

OK - 5 days into this and I have brown and green "stuff" all over my LR. Is this my diatom bloom? Does this mean the tank is almost "cycled"?

Boy, I hope so. My wife ants to put fish in this weekend cause the chems have been spot on.

Egads! this hobby makes one scratch one's head.

Don :eek:

An algae bloom is a stage in the cycling of your tank. I will tell you sternly :) that your tank is still too new to add fish no matter what the test kits say! Please give it a while to make sure that you truly have established a good, healthy environment for your new critters! Nothing good happens fast in this hobby and rushing can be a sure way to disaster. If your NH4 & NO2 have stayed at zero you could consider adding a hermit crab* or a hardy coral. They will add a smaller bio-load and allow your bacteria to build up to the point where the tank can handle fish.

*You should determine if you want hermits as members of your clean up crew. I like them but some people do not. They are very entertaining to watch and are good scavengers.

i really have to agree with CarmieJo.

now is the time you should be thinking of what stock you want. setting up your tank diary and location of equipment (RO/DI) unit etc.

my tank is 7 months old and i am still wating for it to settle between algee blooms.

patience is the key

An algae bloom is a stage in the cycling of your tank. I will tell you sternly :) that your tank is still too new to add fish no matter what the test kits say! Please give it a while to make sure that you truly have established a good, healthy environment for your new critters! Nothing good happens fast in this hobby and rushing can be a sure way to disaster. If your NH4 & NO2 have stayed at zero you could consider adding a hermit crab* or a hardy coral. They will add a smaller bio-load and allow your bacteria to build up to the point where the tank can handle fish.


I agree...and will comply (sorry CarmieJo - please forgive me - noob). But my wife is so excited :clap: . Are snails OK with the hermits? :unsure:

Also - after 5 days with no bio-load, should my skimmer be producing anything? 'cause it isn't. I don't think it should be. Nothing is passing off any debris at this point.

Don

Don,

It took my skimmer a while to start working too. Snails get along fine with hermits although you need to give the hermits extra shells so they don't kill the snails for homes. If the lfs doesn't have shells go to a place like Michaels Arts & Crafts and buy a bag of natural sea shells of an appropriate size.

I would start off with a couple hermits and wait to add a couple of snails until you have a diatom bloom or see film algae. The kind you want mostly are algae eaters and there needs to be a food source for them. Be sure to buy real reef snails like cereiths or nassarius. Snails such as most turbos or margaritas come from colder climes and are not appropriate at the temps we keep our reefs at. Ilyanasa obsoleta are often sold as nassarius but are a whelk from cooler water (collected off of the NC coast) that will eat the micro-fauna in your sand bed. Bumblebee snails are pretty but also a whelk. I have one of these but would not have more than that.

Research what you think you want and then ask us for advice. Just because the lfs sells them doesn't mean that they are really a good choice.

I always said I would never buy hermits again. After a massive hair algae out break I broke down and bought about a dozen. Now my snails seem to be dissappearing again. Can't reef with them can't reef without them kind of thing.

And the FedEx man was nice enough to bring me my Solaris!!! :dance:


But I'm working from home today and won't be able to put it on until later tonight. :no:

Don