It's hard to judge colors over the internet, but I'd say you're interpretation of about 0.5 ppm ammonia looks about right. It should lighten up a little more towards yellow.
www.reef2reef.com
Thank you. I checked the ammonia lvls again today when I got home from work. They have dropped even more now so I think I will be ok. I will do a water change before going to get a fish. I can’t add corals now anyway because my lights have been off and I need to figure what spectrum to use so it would just stress them out even more.
So I couldn’t help myself. I went to the lfs an hour and a half away. I was soooo blown away. The corals and the fish look amazing and completely different from what they look like on tv. It was my first time stepping into a saltwater fish store.
I was gonna buy live rock when I went to the lfs today but he had none for sale. I did ask about copepods and so forth. He did have those. Not I haven’t really done enough research to find out anything about it. My research is basically asking on the forums and try to find some coral-ating data to support it. But I’m new and don’t know who or what to believe. Half the time it’s ppl trying to get you to buy stuff which I don’t mind if it actually works. Anyhoo. I picked up a clown and let my 4 year old pick the other. I also picked up a mushroom and I got home and immediately regretted it because I forgot to buy dip and I killed 4 or 5 critters that came flushing out of it when I took it out of the bag to examine it. (Are you allowed to closely examine the corals at the shop before purchase) . I was opting to throw it out but seeing as I had nothing else in the tank I figured the parasites ( if any were left, plus eggs) would stick to it long enough for me to get the dip and proceed with that process.
I talked to Matt at my lfs and I told him the situation. Come to find out it was actually benificial pods that were on the coral. He pulled a coral out of his frag tank and showed me and I believed him. None of his frags looked under distress . He said another guy he deals with had a new tank set up and actually requested them for his tank. I bought some trigger pods? I think they were with some of his cheato. I don’t believe that is the right spelling. Again here we go with the advertisement. I just want to have a healthy tank and you are pushing me towards algae barn. No offense but you are starting to sound like a marketer more than a hobbiest. I do appreciate your help and like I said no offense. Idk why ppl can’t get into something they enjoy without diluted theses that benefit the major contributors aka companies selling the products you need to do your hobbie. I mean how did ppl do years ago without the tech we have now and still have successful tanks. I put some fish and my corals in my tank and I will let nature do it’s thing. If I fail I fail. Im tired of the advertisements and shunning. I think this is a beautiful hobbie and it has its place . You were right about the cycle. It doesn’t take as long and marketing has us believing that we need this and that. But you sound like you work for algae barn. The internet is diluted with false info and we have to filter out the garbage from the real. If I had the money and the resources I would run the tests myself. But my whole setup is on credit. Im gonna go to work Monday knowing that it’s to pay for the stuff I bought for my tank. I don’t regret it though. It has given me and my family something to bond with. Idk maybe this hobbie isn’t for me. But I know that I love it and I just need to know how to make it work. Not fancy overly expensive gimmicks. Every time I turn around I gotta buy this or that and I don’t even know if I really need it. Sorry for the rant. I believe you know what you’re doing. Thank you for your help.
There is a saying Buy once cry once... Brandon was just sharing his knowledge and opinions and suggested one of his preferred vendors for your consideration. Algaebarn is a good source for certain things but certainly not the only online source or local LFS to get required stuff from. It's entirely up to you but one thing im thankful for as a new reefer with a 14 month old tank is all the people on here with many years of reefing experience sharing their knowledge to help me along. Trust me, your first year is going to be filled with highs and lows and a lot of frustration. If you don't QT fish or buy QT fish, we'll roll the dice and good luck. If you try to stock a new tank that isn't prepared with biodiversity and microfauna your corals will become a money pit of waste. Keep doing research and ask continued questions of the group here who only want you to be successful as a new hobbyist.
Well you started off by choosing a great tank with unlimited potential. I'd love to have a big reef like that one day. Just take your time, enjoy the experience with your family. Involve all of them in the hobby with you. The more patience you have ealy on the better the outcome will be overall and much less frustration as the tank evolves during its maturing stages.
I acclimated and introduced today 1 lt tang, 1 fairy wrasse @ maybe 2 in, 2 pajama cardinals around 1-2 in, 1 Duncan around 1 in, and 1 rodachtis around 1in.
Ok. I kind went over board on the fishies then. That’s ok though. I think I’m gonna wait a while. What do you have going on with your your tank? Do you have a thread?
Well my 14 month old tank which is slightly less then half your size seems to be in a very good balance now with happy fish and thriving corals. I started SPS corals several months back and have about 20 frags now with great color and growth so far. But I'm also sad because my tank is basically packed full of coral now and 10 fish are the max to so now I just have to maintain the balance of my little piece of the ocean.
The big tank gives you great options for fish stocking and multiple focal points for coral placement. I think it's cool to start with tiny frag corals and care for them as they grow into mature colonies hopefully. I learn something new about this hobby constantly so just keep studying different areas of reefing and learn to apply the proven practices to your tank too.
I agree. There’s something very satisfying about taking care of things and watching them grow and become something bigger.
