Wow…
I was at my first frag swap tonight. I heard about it on Reef Central. My tank’s only been up for a week and a half, and I have more live rock coming on Wednesday, so I wasn’t going to buy anything. They had a raffle, and I didn’t even put my name in for the live stuff. But when I was leaving, I got talking to people about my tank and they started giving me stuff. By the time I left, I had a small colony of pink button polyps (Zooanthus sp.) about the size of a 50 cent piece, a small orange Montipora digitata (an sps coral), and a quarter-sized piece of purple xenia (Xenia elongata). Pics forthcoming.
Parameters before adding livestock:
Ammonia – .25 (not sure about that, but that’s what it says)
Nitrite – 0
Nitrate – 5
I need to get a refractometer. And a calcium test.
-j
Dictionary (which is mostly for my benefit)
SPS: small-polyped stony (hard coral)
This thing gets expensive quickly!
I just dropped some money on 10 lbs live rock from Liverocks.com. They’re going to send me 5 lbs Keys and 5 lbs Gulf rock. I hear that’s a good combination to have. LR.com is a really great retailer, and everyone on Aquarium Advice who has purchased rock from them says it’s the best rock they’ve had. I’ll talk more about it when it comes. They aren’t making any more shipments until the 15th, and I told them to send mine on the 16th so I can be home when it arrives.
I also purchased 10 nassarius and 5 astrea snails. I found out after I bought them that the astreas can’t right themselves if they get flipped over, so I probably won’t get them anymore. Next week-ish I’ll pick up some peppermint shrimp, and we’ll see what I get from the live rock in terms of crabs. Usually crabs can be found hitch-hiking in the rock because it’s pulled straight from the ocean farms and shipped. There could be lots of goodies in there. I think I want some scarlett crabs and a couple scarlett-tipped crabs. And then…the fish!
Time for a Pic
I took a pic of the reef last night. In the photo, the lights are strictly from the tank itself. Right now there are only 2 pieces of live rock in the tank, but I will be getting more in a week or so (I have to pay some bills first). I may be getting a fish today (perhaps a yellow goby) and perchance a snail or shrimp. I want something that will sift through the sand. Let me know if you have any ideas.
-j
The Time Has Finally Come
Well, I finally got my reef set up last night. Here are the specs:
- 10 gallon tank
- 20lbs live sand
- 4.5 lbs live rock (For now. I plan on getting 10 more lbs after I pay some bills)
- 2 springs of calopra
- 2x48W daylight/actinic PC light with lunar light
Right now it’s running off the old Whisper filter and heater I have, but I’m getting a protein skimmer and titanium heater to replace them next week or so. I’m scared to death that the electrical system can’t handle it, or that the tank will collapse the countertop it’s on. I just need to pray for it constantly. Pics will be forthcoming.
-j