New to R2R saying hello

moink · Oct 16, 2015

Hello All,
I am new to this hobby and addicted to it in just the short time i have been doing this

I am from Saint Amant LA and I have a 50 Gal rimless cube tank with an 18 gal sump. I have been Cycling for close to 3 weeks now and the diatoms started about week ago. I am planning on doing a 20% water change this weekend before the LSU game of course

oh also I received my auto top off system so I am plan on installing that this weekend also.

The salinity is 1.025 at this moment I put a couple of pics to show my water test from last weekend and a pic of the diatom starting in my tank. well that's what i have going on at the moment.

steelheader.262 · Oct 16, 2015

Welcome to R2R!!!

steve&mari · Oct 16, 2015

Welcome to the community hopefully you find it friendly and informative. Like the start of your reef. What plans for stocking it. It looks great really like the scape but the large center rock will inhibit what you can do on the sandbed corals wise. Also if you plan on wrasse some sleep in the sandbed so need some open areas.

KJ · Oct 16, 2015

Welcome to R2R..

J

kschweer · Oct 16, 2015

Welcome to R2R!!!

Tahoe61 · Oct 16, 2015

Welcome.

moink · Oct 16, 2015

steve&mari said:
Welcome to the community hopefully you find it friendly and informative. Like the start of your reef. What plans for stocking it. It looks great really like the scape but the large center rock will inhibit what you can do on the sandbed corals wise. Also if you plan on wrasse some sleep in the sandbed so need some open areas.

I was working on seeing about my cleaning crew with a skunk cleaning shrimp first. As far as fish maybe a Firefish, Ocellaris Clown, a pajama cardinal or a Kauden's cardinal, or a Dotty back some thing along that line to start with to try and keep my bio-load down so I can manage things easy at first as I learn. Also I was thinking about removing the small rocks in the front when I put the cleaning crew in to open that front up some more. as far as corals maybe some LPS, SPS, & Polyp type corals still debating that. I have a 16" Euphotica programmable lighting LED so I really have to learn on how the lighting intensity and programming is going to affect the corals so when adding the corals its going to be a real learning thing for me.

I have my Blues set to 3%-20 % and whites set to 10%- 40% over a 8 hour day right now. I kept the lights off for the past couple days to keep the diatoms at bay a little bit it seemed to work the bloom is coming down a lot. Or maybe its my imagination telling me it is.

DannyB · Oct 16, 2015

The diatoms will just cycle through and disappear. They are ugly but nothing worth trying to fight.

ziora · Oct 16, 2015

Congratulations on your new tank! You sound like quite an expert already. I have to google just about everything you said you are considering adding to your reef. Looking forward to seeing and reading your updates.