September 3rd, 2024
Continuing weekly to bi-weekly water changes of about 15%. Nitrates have leveled off at or slightly below 10ppm with phosphates measuring barely readable at .03ppm. All livestock continues to look very healthy and thriving, including corals which are growing and multiplying in numbers every week. Magnesium levels are dropping due to the fact that I've run out of magnesium supplement additives. Will be purchasing some this week. This will also help in elevating alkalinity and calcium levels as well.
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September 3, 2024 04:19
6-18-24
Added a bottle of tiger pods today, also added a yellow eyed, green chalice coral. I also added a small amount of green star polyps to an island rock to keep them from overgrowing the tank, and I added two small montipora plate frags that are both orange in color. All corals and tank inhabitants seem very vibrant and healthy. Nitrates are slightly elevated but will be cutting back on feeding to compensate for the next few days.
6/1/24
Tank is still looking healthy and minimal ugly stage is showing, with the exception of diatoms on the sand bed. I am still saving money to purchase copepods and phytoplankton along with some sand sifting creatures to keep the sand turned over regularly, thus helping eliminate the diatom problems. All coral looks healthy and happy with the exception of my little zoa colony. I've noticed a few white specs on several polyp stalks causing them to stay closed, will be keeping a close eye on them and possibly removing them to pop the white spots followed by dipping in a lugols solution. Still need to get magnesium and phosphate test kit, copepods and phytoplankton and possibly some Dr Tim's bacterial supplements, and finally a different form of coral dip before adding anymore corals to the system.
5/22/24
The nano 30L is slowly maturing . I would really like to increase my diversity of living organisms in the tank from adding a few seed colonies of copepods and phytoplankton to bumping up my CUC mainly on the sand bed with a few sand sifting crusteations/invertebrates. I truly believe the last of my very minimum ugly stage would be taken care of once and for all. On the equipment side of things I need to get a rainbird temp control and possibly start looking into plumbing a refugium with the overflow return for even more diversity of living organisms in the marine biome. Also trying to find a new tank mate for my Gramma as well as adding a few new lps or soft corals.
Cyanobacterium continues to thicken on sand bed, significantly in the last day despite nitrates staying at or below 10ppm. Going to try and start equalizing calc & alk over the next two to three days since dosage required exceeded daily maximum dose. Also I will be dosing Chemiclean to take care of Cyano issue. All animals, coral and fish and inverts seem to be looking healthy. Lastly I have decided to reduce lighting, mainly the whites to also aid in Cyano eradication and to keep corals from excessive lighting too soon in their introduction to the system.
Added a Royal Gramma, a small colony of zoanthids and a acan frag. All of them acclimated and adjusted to their new home well so far. Continuing to dose two part additive with occasional magnesium added.
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April 28, 2024 22:57
4/21
Added a yellow watchman goby, aquacultured, was added with a blue leg hermit. Also added green leather tree.
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April 22, 2024 13:46
Began dosing alkalinity solution this evening to increase dKH and raise the ph by a couple tenths. All parameters are now set for coral and fish. Note: still need to pick up magnesium and phosphate test kits the next time I have a little extra change. Also hoping Peppermint Patty survives the huge dKH spike. I meant to raise it up over the next couple days but added a little more than I wanted to, luckily I didn't dose more than I did though. I think she'll be fine.
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April 15, 2024 05:50
Did my 10 percent water change and cleaned out filter compartment floss. The parameters that I have a kit for are basically all of them except calcium, magnesium, and phosphate. With all of those not previously listed, they are starting to stabilize; except for the alkalinity which is still around 5 dKH give or take a few points. Beginning to notice some new coralline growth on some of the Gulf live rock I purchased from the online distributor. As well as some very nice red algae with lots of little leaves and the little patches of berries that certain macro species produce. Also I'm glad to be able to write that Peppermint Patty molted for her first time since moving into my tank. A lot of good things to report on this week, I kept my lights off for approximately half of the week to try and eradicate the last of the hair algae and what I presume was dinos. The red cyano that showed up first has also phased out with no more signs of returning. Will be watching possible Dino and/or hair algae to make sure it doesn't worsen, but I feel like the dozen or so sprouts of macro I'm seeing take root will hopefully rob the nuisance stuff of nutrients and choke it on out completely. Would love to be able to test my Calc, magn, and phosphates to see where they stand. May try completing test kit purchases or if not, taking a large enough water sample to LFS for a complete parameter test this week. And in closing, I'd like to think within another week or two, I will have a great little completely cycled tank ready for anything I want (can afford is more like it) to put in there. Really need to focus on a better solution to the job problem I am currently stuck in, but that's for a different kind journal than this....
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March 27, 2024 09:32
Almost 2 months in and I honestly can't say that I believe my tank is cycled. I'm keeping in mind that I am broke as heck and can't even afford to pay my way into the coral show this weekend. Much less, afford all of the appropriate test kits I need so... with that said my guess as to whether or not it is or isn't cycled is just a simple guess. My first 2 attempts at adding a fish have chalked up to 2 deaths. Although, my peppermint shrimp (Patty, after Peppermint Patty) and a few hermits and 2 turbo snails are all seeming to adjust nicely to the tank and its parameters. Which makes me feel a little bit better because most inverts are way more sensitive to dirty water and unstable parameters. I've also began in the last week or so, noticed that I am starting a pretty good amount of green hair algae. Possibly due to an increase in phosphates, but not sure because I haven't purchased that test kit yet. My nitrates, with water changes, have been pretty steady at around 10 ppm. PH is pretty steady as well staying between 7.9 and 8.0. No ammonia or nitrite after initial spike and decline in the first two weeks of setting up the tank.
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March 21, 2024 05:28