Hi! New member and new reefer in central FL

I have had the LFS test for Nh3, No2, and No3. First time I had it tested they said Nh3 ammonia right? was high, but it was part of the process. I waited a week and they said No2 was a little high. At this point I added a few tiny hermits and a few snails and waited another week. After that they said No2 looked good but I should wait a little longer and see how the crabs and snails continue doing. I've had the water tested 4 times I think since adding the crabs/snails and each time they have said everything looks good.

I am going to get my own test kit tomorrow so I will have a better understanding of whats going on.

I tried to find a good RO unit but with the cost of the unit and the cost of the filters it seemed like it would take a very long time for it to pay itself off, when the LFS sells RO/DI for 50 cents a gallon ($1 with salt added). I was looking at home depot though... im sure there is probably a better place to buy them.

 

Try looking into this web site on R/O units. www.purewaterclub.com
I have not bought from them, nor am I associated with them. They're not the best out there, but I think that they are great for the money. Luna

 

Those do look like good prices (bookmarked). The water I have in there should be good for now right? A R/O isn't quite in the budget right now so I will use the water from the LFS until I get my own unit.

I figure the lights are probably the most crucial thing to be changed right now.

 

Good luck my friend, keep us posted.


[SCROLL]Luna[/SCROLL]

 

HI EVERYONE!!!

Thanks for all the good lucks!! lol. It must be working my tank is getting a lot clearer!!! All animals are doing great. I had one hermit crab die but thats all. My favorite hermit I named him "king konk" has gotten bigger and I think he needs a new shell. My four green chromis are awesome! They hide or swim around the middle of the tank where its hard to see them most of the time, but during feeding time you can see them all schooling up and swimming around grabbing food.

In the pictures the water still looks incredibly green. Thats mostly due to a bad white balance. I think the important thing you can get from the pictures is how much farther you can see into the tank than you could before.

This picture is of my purple live rock covered in coralline algae. It was almost impossible to see before. It is about in the center of the tank.


This is the end view of my tank. You could hardly see the dead coral before, and you could not see that piece of base rock before.

This is my favorite hermit crab. I call him king konk. (I know he isn't actually in a konk shell I just thought it was a funny name)


What do you think? Will he need a new shell soon?

 

here is one with a little better while balance.


Still doesn't look exactly like I see it but w/e

 

How long has the tank been like that? That green color? Luna

 

Probably about 2-3 weeks. My dad had the windows open... They are closed now and we are using filter floss now and its getting clearer everyday. I had the phosphates tested at the LFS. I can't recall what he said the ppm was, but he said it wasn't as high as he was expecting.

How long should I wait before I start doing water changes?

 

If your finished with your cycle, tomorrow.