Chris in Spain
New Member
Hi all my name is Chris, Although I am not new to marine I do consider myself to be a novice.
We have been in the hobby since 2015 starting with fresh water then moving over to salt in 2017.
We started off by converting a Jewel rio 120l from fresh to salt, then changed to an AIO marine tank shortly after and in addition my wife bought a 27l nano cube because she wanted a few Zoas and a pipefish. We eventually went a little crazy and bought a custom 750l tank with a 120l sump, unfortunately we had a few issues with it along the way ich and an algae that was so invasive it spoilt the enjoyment for us. We took a sample to local fish stores and even some not so local and nobody was able to recognise it, it was red with small leaves but when it died it fluoresced bright orange under blue light. We tried everything we could to get rid of it so in the end we just lived with it.
In December 2018 we left the Uk and moved to Spain and brought our tanks, rocks and sand with us, we ended up giving away our livestock before we left.
The tanks arrived with no visible damage but the place we bought turned out to need major reforms, we did set up the nano tank a few months after arriving with Mediterranean sea water, some macro algae from a rock pool a little hermit crab a few snails and a wild anemone just for something to look at these are still thriving over a year later.
Finally we have been able to set up the big tank nearly 2 years later, first it was tested with tap water to make sure everything was still good, then after a week was emptied and refilled with salt water mixed in the tank and left for a few days with pumps and heater on.
The rock and sand had been washed before leaving the Uk to ensure it didn't stink when it was time to start processing it. It then spent 2 very happy summers baking in the sun. When it was nearing the time to think about the big tank again it was all thoroughly washed again until there was no trace of discoloured water then left to bake again. We are just starting week 4 of cycling the only problem is the water has a very slight green tinge but is not cloudy and has no aroma.
I am waiting for a Phosphate test kit to be delivered. The nearest reef supply shop to us is around a 3 hour round trip and due to current circumstances we are unable to visit. We used DR Tims all in one to start the cycle.
As of today we have,
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 5ppm
Nitrate 50ppm
We have been in the hobby since 2015 starting with fresh water then moving over to salt in 2017.
We started off by converting a Jewel rio 120l from fresh to salt, then changed to an AIO marine tank shortly after and in addition my wife bought a 27l nano cube because she wanted a few Zoas and a pipefish. We eventually went a little crazy and bought a custom 750l tank with a 120l sump, unfortunately we had a few issues with it along the way ich and an algae that was so invasive it spoilt the enjoyment for us. We took a sample to local fish stores and even some not so local and nobody was able to recognise it, it was red with small leaves but when it died it fluoresced bright orange under blue light. We tried everything we could to get rid of it so in the end we just lived with it.
In December 2018 we left the Uk and moved to Spain and brought our tanks, rocks and sand with us, we ended up giving away our livestock before we left.
The tanks arrived with no visible damage but the place we bought turned out to need major reforms, we did set up the nano tank a few months after arriving with Mediterranean sea water, some macro algae from a rock pool a little hermit crab a few snails and a wild anemone just for something to look at these are still thriving over a year later.
Finally we have been able to set up the big tank nearly 2 years later, first it was tested with tap water to make sure everything was still good, then after a week was emptied and refilled with salt water mixed in the tank and left for a few days with pumps and heater on.
The rock and sand had been washed before leaving the Uk to ensure it didn't stink when it was time to start processing it. It then spent 2 very happy summers baking in the sun. When it was nearing the time to think about the big tank again it was all thoroughly washed again until there was no trace of discoloured water then left to bake again. We are just starting week 4 of cycling the only problem is the water has a very slight green tinge but is not cloudy and has no aroma.
I am waiting for a Phosphate test kit to be delivered. The nearest reef supply shop to us is around a 3 hour round trip and due to current circumstances we are unable to visit. We used DR Tims all in one to start the cycle.
As of today we have,
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 5ppm
Nitrate 50ppm
