(august 7, 2010)
2 clowns are going good…i guess…seems i can only tell if they doing bad, so i’m assuming they are doing good
Saturday project…copepod condo, shamelessly stolen from The Reef Tank. Not sure when i will get my own ideas, sometimes i want to design a new wheel
copepod condo
chemicals…you can never have enough
chemicals
kent pro buffer dkh…used once, works, but moved onto baked baking soda, much more affordable
vinegar used to lower ph (and liquid carbon dosing), i dont plan on using it
pickling lime, again, thanks to randy (read the articles, they are well worth the time), not currently using, will be using in a few months. Tried it for a bit, and works well, just dont have the need w/o much life in the tank.
nite-out II. Bought from the local fish store (LFS), support your LFS when you can, i try to. Have it for emergency use to reduce ammonia and nitrite. Should never need, but did put some in. Why would i put some in when i dont need? simple…read next paragraph
My tank started sterile, its a hobby and experiment to me. I didnt buy live rock, cycled dead/base rock with bacteria from 2 different commercial sources (biospira, turbo start 900). Did i need more then 1 source? very doubtful, but figured it wouldnt hurt. I used ammonia from ace hardware to start the process. in the future, i probalby wont do it that way again, but only because i will have my own live rock i can transfer over. What did i gain by doing it this way? Well, not sure. I have no algae, no hitchhikers, if thats good or bad i cant answer. The biggest thing gained was an understanding of how the process can work starting with nothing.
One last item for those that read this far. reefcentral.com has great forums for information, and that is what i use it for. Make an account there so you can search, look at images. Their vocal users and moderaters are pretty set in their ways, its not a place i would ever comfortable posting and responding, just gathering. If you dont feel the same way about certain subjects, it can be bruttle
The Reef Tank is my next stop for checking out salt water forums. Seems like it will be the place for me.