Progression Update

Its been a while since I have updated this.  That is mostly thanks to the hair algae that has been plaguing my tank.  After a week of fighting with it though, Im starting to get it under control.  I also finally moved my clownfish from quarantine to their new home, once I confirmed my water readings with a local fish store.  So far, they seem pretty happy and are extremely energetic.  I have included some pics with this update.  The first two pics are comparison pics, the first taken a week ago, the second pic taken today.  The third pic is of my spiny astrea snail (which is my favorite snail),  and the last pic is of my clownfish in their new home.  Next addition will be Dragon Fire Zoanthids, followed by some Sexy Anemone Shrimp, a Blue Sympodium, and probably a Maxi - Mini Carpet Anemone.

Cycle Finished

A few days ago I added some chaetomorpha to my skimmer cup and it seemed to "jump start" my cycle so I finally placed an order for my clean up crew from reef cleaners.  Ill be getting snails only, which will include: dwarf ceriths, nerites, and some nassarius vibex.  I also plan on adding a fancy brittle starfish and 3-4 sexy shrimp which i plan on ordering from live aquaria at a later date.  Once the clean-up crew is in place and water levels are stable, Ill be able to add my clownfish to the display.  Ill update again when my snails have arrived.

 

Cycle Update 1

Its been a little over a week since I got my live rock into the water, and already the rocks are starting to color up with coralline and other types of algae; so I thought i would share the progress with you.  Its still not ready for livestock yet, but I have a feeling it will be ready sooner than expected.  I will keep monitoring water levels and when conditions are right, ill be introducing some snails including dwarf ceriths, nerites, and some nassarius vibex.

These are before and after shots of the tank after just after 1-1/2 weeks of cycling.

As you can see the rocks are starting to color up and develop various types of algae.

These photos are of the two major diatoms that are taking over my sand bed.

This last photo is a close-up of one of my rocks, so you can see the different algae growing on them.

Rockin' Out

So I finally got the aquascaping done in my new RSM 130d.  I acquired the live rock from a local fish store.  It was very nice and porous, but also very fragile.  I had a couple pieces accidentally break on me and a few pieces that I intentionally broke.  This final configuration came from days of rearranging rock and numerous arch collapses.I ended up using zipties and super glue gel to secure my live rock.  The zipties and glue will encrust with coralline algae in the months to follow and will look like natural rock, so you wont even be able to notice them.

Copepod

I am almost a week into my cycle now and already life is starting to appear inside my tank.  I woke up this morning with hundreds of little white flea-like creatures crawling on my glass.  I knew that these were obviously pods and immediately got excited.  I cant remember the last time I was excited by seeing a little bug.  There are some other forms of life sprouting up too, which include rhizopoda (a form of Foraminifera) and I also found an aiptasia anemone, which is a pest in reef aquariums.  I sadly regret that it didn't make it, and is no longer with us.


CLOWN UPDATE:
Clown fish are doing great!  I added some carbon to my filter floss filter and am also dosing with seachem prime right now to help with ammonia levels between water changes.  They have been super energetic the last few days and seem to be getting some more color to them.

Will update again when more noticeable changes occur! :)

Clownfish Quarantine

Picked up two Ocellaris Clownfish today from a local fish store and started them in QT process.  They seem to be doing well so far despite a noob acclimation.  My qt tank was set to 1.025 salinity which is exactly what the lfs told me their tank was set to.  Once I opened the bag and tested the water, it read 1.028-29 on my refractometer...  They are now currently sitting in qt at about 1.027-28 (I quickly adjusted my QT because it is better for a slow salinity adjustment rather than a fast one.  Ill keep them in quarantine over the next month, while testing for ammonia/ph levels, and lowering salinity down to 1.025 through water changes.  The corals are not real, just a background pic my girlfriend insisted on.  Rest assured I do NOT have one of these on my display tank. LOL.

Supplies Arrive

I received all of the supplies I will need for my tank other than a salinity refractometer.  My setup includes the BRS 5 Stage Plus RO/DI Filter, Instant Ocean salt mix, CaribSea Aragonite sand, & Red Sea / API test kits.  I also have a Mag Float glass cleaner, a digital thermometer, and other various tools/accessories not worth mentioning right now.

The RO/DI filter is installed under my kitchen sink where i tapped into the cold water line for my source water using one of the adapters provided.  During installation, my cat decided to start chewing on one of the hoses to my RO/DI unit.  Luckily it was just an inexpensive hose and not part of the actual unit, still, it really pissed me off because I had just unboxed my unit.  I ended up having to cut off about three feet of the waste line hose which wasnt a big deal.  I am currently filling my aquarium with RO/DI water and using an extended tube so that the units pumps the water directly into my aquarium.

Quarantine

I got my quarantine tank ready today.  I plan on filling it up and getting my two clown fish to start their quarantine process.  For those who are unaware, a quarantine tank is a second tank separate from your main display, where you will house new additions to your aquarium for atleast 1 month before adding them to your main display.  This is to prevent any potential diseases the fish may be carrying from infecting your main display and also allows time to medicate any potentially diseased livestock.  Quarantine tanks can also serve as "hospitals" for your livestock should they become injured or you start to notice any adverse effects.  My quarantine tank consists of a 10 gallon aquarium, air pump with air-stone, pvc piping for fish to hide in, a thermometer, and a mechanical filter which will utilize filter floss.  Please, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, try to start your own salt-water aquarium with the equipment below.  This tank is NOT intended nor is it capable to house salt-water livestock for extended periods of time. 

A New Beginning!

YES!!! Today I received my replacement 130d aquarium.  This time i took a box cutter with me and opened the aquarium package to confirm the tank wasn't cracked.  I got it all setup and did a water test on it to confirm it will hold water and that no damage occurred during shipping.  I also got 99% of the foam fuzzies out and other debris, so the tank is pretty clean right now; but still empty . :(

As promised, the pictures:

A Rough Start...

I Finally Received my Red Sea Max 130d in the mail today after waiting nearly a month.  I was so excited that I rushed to get it upstairs without inspecting it first.  Once I opened the box to my new aquarium, I quickly found out it had huge impact cracks in one of the corners.  I immediately called Red Sea and told them what had happened and the representative I spoke with told me I will receive a replacement tank next week.  I'm skeptical however because it will ship through the same company as last time.

Introduction

Hello to everyone reading my new blog.  My name is Justin, I am currently 24, and live in St. Louis, Missouri.  I am relatively new to salt water tanks but i pick things up pretty quickly.  I wanted an independent area away from reef forums where i could document my build.  I decided to go with a Red Sea Max 130d for my aquarium (Specs) and decided with a mini-reef setup.  I plan on stocking 2 Ocellaris Clown fish, a short-spined urchin, and a Zoanthid island.  I am also considering a basic coral such as frogspawn to try and get my Clown fish to host.  Later I plan on adding other coral and a couple more fish which are still undecided.