puttputt

Water changes are good anytime, including cycling. 20-30% is good, once a week, or more during the curing of the rock.

dry rock has loads of dead organisms on it hense your high nutrient levels. You can do water changes during cycle but as long as you have no stock in there, wait til you get nitrate readings then start some good water changes. You will continue to shed muck from the dry rock for some time, so keep being patient, and dont be fooled by some telling you to add fish quicker, the longer you wait the better.

oops, double post

Thats not good, your nutrients must be sky high, or you've put soap/detergent in. Bubbles look scarily white and soapy This is a cycling tank yes? If so, some decent water changes needed now.

mmmm, lets see what i can arrange 8)

Thought i may be able to sneak down next week during school hols with the girls, but not so sure now.....

Stunning pipe fish la, i think i need to come down and steal a couple :lol:

, every week with a water change (bit like every 2 with the weather and all)

I've keep it barebottomed during setup and cycling. Its getting there. I have a bucket of lovely fine polished shell from Spirits bay, and the intention is to have a thin covering of it in the tank. Funny thou, the other little display tank on the system is shallow and has a good coraline growth on the glass bottom with nems etc growing on it, and i like that too.

If you do it properly, exactly the same level of difficulty, except cycles etc take that much longer in coldwater. There are no shortcuts in marine, same nitrogen cycles, same algae cycles etc and the likes of the jewels and sponges (and coraline) require a clean mature tank to survive. The savings are in power (heating and lighting), suppliments (no need to dose as regular water changes will do, even calcium and alk never move - only coraline and a small amount of shell growth consume it), and of course stock is a reasonable price 8). and its a lot of fun and the whole family can play!

mostly from around the coast up here.

stone.david?

Ok, some new pics, tanks maturing nice, jewels doing very well, These are some older ones that have adapted very nicely and are spreading well... And here's some new ones, not yet settled but nice!!!!!!, not the clearest pics, but you'll get idea. and this pretty fish wanted in... and some tank pics...

Yes it is a pest anenome, apitasia sp?, get it out asap, they spread like wild fire, esp in a young tank with lots of nutrients.

Common from what i've seen, sand or not - no need or requirement to put it in an immature tank. Same as alot of things, patience.

:roll:, why, offers little unless you want a filthy tank.

As will the rock, which at this stage will be house far more bacteria than you need - i know people who promote sand like its some nivana - then change it everytime they have a tank veiwing so it looks "white", but unless you are looking at a dsb, best to leave the sand until tanks mature.

Yes, you are mid cycle, you'll need to raise your salinity to 1.025/1.026, esp if you want to keep corals. You should not have added sand so early in your cycle, it will be a mess after your algae cycles, and you need to keep it to 1-2cm, or 10-15cm, nothing in between.

you dont need to add ammonia, put a bit of food in there, you'll have ammonia in a day or 2 as it rots. Adding ammonia is no shortcut, and is unnecessary.

yep, but thats only half the cycle weka, the other half is nitrate to nitrogen gas by the anaerobic bacteria. Then you need to ge thru the algae cycles, just the same as a tropical marine, but takes longer. There are no shortcuts in cold or warm salt.

feet and inches, you've got to be joking. :roll:

Thanks, no just good t5's, whites and blues.

haha, lots of funny people about

Thanks Shaneo, as it matures, it'll get better.

Then they will be eaten, die, disappear. Very difficult to raise shrimp, even experts. Great zooplankton type meal for others in your tank though.