EVO 13.5 Adventure Has Started!

[dmankin]

Hi Folks. I made a trip to my LFS yesterday. I picked up 15 gallons of salt water, and 5 gallons of RODI. On my last trip there, the live rock selection was light. I hit the jackpot, I think. A shipment of Pukani just arrived, and was still sealed in the shipping box. I had the pick of the lot.

I used maybe 2/3 of a 20 lb. bag of Carib Sea Fiji Pink live sand, arranged the rocks, and carefully filled the tank. Over the following hours, I watched the water clear, and went to bed with it fairly clear. When I checked on the tank this morning, the clearing was complete, and the water is beautiful!

I checked my water parameters for the first time. My LFS guy told me to expect a (possible) quick cycle, as the rock seemed to be 'healthy' (my term, not his). I was a little surprised at my readings. I'm new at this, and wasn't expecting some of the numbers so early.

I'll be testing daily to see what these numbers do.

Wish me luck!
Dave

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

Looking good!

 

[JamisonTX]

I'm about 3 months in on a new Fluval Evo 13.5! Let me know if you need advice, I'm new to the hobby too but have done a lot of research!

 

[dmankin]

I'm about 3 months in on a new Fluval Evo 13.5! Let me know if you need advice, I'm new to the hobby too but have done a lot of research!

Thanks! I'll likely have quite a few questions as things progress. For now, I'm just taking readings every day. I already have ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. The live rock seems very healthy, with no real stench that I have heard others describe when they receive live rock.

 

[marktea]

Following. ~2 months in with my evo

 

[jaegers_reef]

Looking good. My thread has quite a bit of info also. There might be some answer there for you.

 

[dmankin]

The anticipated ammonia drop happened! Should I be concerned (day 5) that my pH is at 8? I believe the lower limit of acceptable pH is 8.2. Is that right? In this photo, it appears more like an 8.2 reading, but it's challenging to match the 3D opaque test tube with a printed color swatch!

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

The nitrite confuses me. But I don't think I've ever started with live rock. At least not that was shipped.

Looks great other than that.

 

[dmankin]

The nitrite confuses me. But I don't think I've ever started with live rock. At least not that was shipped.

Nooks great other than that.

Thanks - I wasn't expecting these nitrate & nitrite levels at the same time either. For now, I'll just keep testing daily. I will do a water change sometime soon, and then bring in a cleanup crew if the numbers stabilize further.

 

[Katrina71]

@Will Godfrey take a look at this setup.

 

[motownjc]

Hi Folks. I made a trip to my LFS yesterday. I picked up 15 gallons of salt water, and 5 gallons of RODI. On my last trip there, the live rock selection was light. I hit the jackpot, I think. A shipment of Pukani just arrived, and was still sealed in the shipping box. I had the pick of the lot.

I used maybe 2/3 of a 20 lb. bag of Carib Sea Fiji Pink live sand, arranged the rocks, and carefully filled the tank. Over the following hours, I watched the water clear, and went to bed with it fairly clear. When I checked on the tank this morning, the clearing was complete, and the water is beautiful!

I checked my water parameters for the first time. My LFS guy told me to expect a (possible) quick cycle, as the rock seemed to be 'healthy' (my term, not his). I was a little surprised at my readings. I'm new at this, and wasn't expecting some of the numbers so early.

I'll be testing daily to see what these numbers do.

Wish me luck!
Dave

what are you using to do the testing?

 

[dmankin]

what are you using to do the testing?

I'm using the API Saltwater Master test kit.

 

[dmankin]

I am using the PS2 skimmer, and although some have stated that they don't like the device, I think mine is doing a great job. The image below shows 24 hours of collection. I'd rather have this stuff in the cup vs. the display!