Hi everyone!
I set up my first tank back on February 11th of this year. I have always wanted to get in to saltwater and did a lot of research before hand. I decided to go the live rock from the ocean to get the tank started right away. I wanted the tank stable right away. I proceeded with a budget with the impression I’d double it, which I easily did .
The first week I watched my live rock come to life while watching water parameters. I started with API test kit but found out right away I wanted to get something more specific to really narrow down the results to make sure things were stable. I then proceeded to buy some Salifert test kits.
After the first week, algae was starting to take off so I picked up a clean up crew of 3 small snails, and a Mexican turbo snail. I also picked up two peppermint shrimp to eat some glass anemones, which they did.
By the end of the second week, the Dino’s in the sand disappeared but the sand was green. I knew that it was just doing it’s thing in getting equilibrium but decided to throw a fighting conch in there to shift the sand around. It was at this time the salifert phosphate test wasn’t specific enough so I bought a Hanna tester. Phosphates were a little high at .13 but seemed stable.
As the third week moved on, the tank was looking much better. I was already getting coralline algae on my glass. By the end of the third week I added two snowflake clowns, a watchman goby. Now there was a sale going on so I bought my first corals and anemone. I bought mostly cheap ones but fell in love with a mushroom bounce and a super cheap two head NY Knicks torch.
I am aware many are going to say that’s too early. I read many things that some say wait but others start with everything live and the tank is good to go. I was testing the water parameters twice a day everyday to make sure things were stable. After I bought these I was honestly worried a bit, as the littlest thing could mess everything up and things were already adding up.
The fourth and fifth week things were going well in the tank. The anemone placed his foot in the cave but fills up every day out of the cave to catch light. The corals look good minus one free one I got that was thrown in with my order. It was already partially bleached so I took it out as I didn’t want it to mess anything up. The life in the rocks is really coming to life. I have many spaghetti worms, many micro bristle stars and the sponges are growing. I do find some more possible bad hitchhikers. I see one super small hydroid on the glass. I see one worm that came out of the rock (at least two inches if not more) that was brown and a couple inches long. Every time I got close it retreats super fast so no picture. I am hoping it was a peanut worm but it looked like it possible tentacles at the mouth. I also thought I saw some Bryopsis, but it was mowed down while only about an inch tall. I have 3 rock dwelling sea cucumbers that I try to do more research on but can’t find much. It is the one thing I don’t want to nuke my tank.
We are currently on the sixth week of the tank. I found a great deal on a pre-quarantined Swissgaurd Basslet and just put him in the tank today. Bought a NPS sea fan and a birds nest coral too.
Everything has been completely stable and have started a two dose of ESV Bionic as calcium was dropping.
Current Parameters:
Alk 8.3
Phosphate: .07-.08
Calcium 410-420
PH swing of 7.9 - 8.2
Salinity of 1.026
I know this was a lot in the first post. I’m sure there are going to be some that disagree with how fast I am starting. I agree that there are many things that can go wrong but stability should keep things in order. As I was writing this I was looking up vermetid snails and realize what I though was tube worms may of been vermetid snails on my sea fan plug. That was the only coral I didn’t dip (wouldn’t of killed them anyways) since it had to stay in water. Need to take a closer look later tonight.
I set up my first tank back on February 11th of this year. I have always wanted to get in to saltwater and did a lot of research before hand. I decided to go the live rock from the ocean to get the tank started right away. I wanted the tank stable right away. I proceeded with a budget with the impression I’d double it, which I easily did .
The first week I watched my live rock come to life while watching water parameters. I started with API test kit but found out right away I wanted to get something more specific to really narrow down the results to make sure things were stable. I then proceeded to buy some Salifert test kits.
After the first week, algae was starting to take off so I picked up a clean up crew of 3 small snails, and a Mexican turbo snail. I also picked up two peppermint shrimp to eat some glass anemones, which they did.
By the end of the second week, the Dino’s in the sand disappeared but the sand was green. I knew that it was just doing it’s thing in getting equilibrium but decided to throw a fighting conch in there to shift the sand around. It was at this time the salifert phosphate test wasn’t specific enough so I bought a Hanna tester. Phosphates were a little high at .13 but seemed stable.
As the third week moved on, the tank was looking much better. I was already getting coralline algae on my glass. By the end of the third week I added two snowflake clowns, a watchman goby. Now there was a sale going on so I bought my first corals and anemone. I bought mostly cheap ones but fell in love with a mushroom bounce and a super cheap two head NY Knicks torch.
I am aware many are going to say that’s too early. I read many things that some say wait but others start with everything live and the tank is good to go. I was testing the water parameters twice a day everyday to make sure things were stable. After I bought these I was honestly worried a bit, as the littlest thing could mess everything up and things were already adding up.
The fourth and fifth week things were going well in the tank. The anemone placed his foot in the cave but fills up every day out of the cave to catch light. The corals look good minus one free one I got that was thrown in with my order. It was already partially bleached so I took it out as I didn’t want it to mess anything up. The life in the rocks is really coming to life. I have many spaghetti worms, many micro bristle stars and the sponges are growing. I do find some more possible bad hitchhikers. I see one super small hydroid on the glass. I see one worm that came out of the rock (at least two inches if not more) that was brown and a couple inches long. Every time I got close it retreats super fast so no picture. I am hoping it was a peanut worm but it looked like it possible tentacles at the mouth. I also thought I saw some Bryopsis, but it was mowed down while only about an inch tall. I have 3 rock dwelling sea cucumbers that I try to do more research on but can’t find much. It is the one thing I don’t want to nuke my tank.
We are currently on the sixth week of the tank. I found a great deal on a pre-quarantined Swissgaurd Basslet and just put him in the tank today. Bought a NPS sea fan and a birds nest coral too.
Everything has been completely stable and have started a two dose of ESV Bionic as calcium was dropping.
Current Parameters:
Alk 8.3
Phosphate: .07-.08
Calcium 410-420
PH swing of 7.9 - 8.2
Salinity of 1.026
I know this was a lot in the first post. I’m sure there are going to be some that disagree with how fast I am starting. I agree that there are many things that can go wrong but stability should keep things in order. As I was writing this I was looking up vermetid snails and realize what I though was tube worms may of been vermetid snails on my sea fan plug. That was the only coral I didn’t dip (wouldn’t of killed them anyways) since it had to stay in water. Need to take a closer look later tonight.