So a while back I posted a thread about how I was getting a 12gal nanocube. Well that fell through, the guy basically didn't feel like bringing it home with him. I offered to drive the 3 hrs to get it but he said up and down it'd be no problem to bring it. (we graduated HS together so he was coming here to visit family anyway). So I gave up on that and started hunting craigslist again. One night I was poking around and found a 28gal aquapod for 100$.... I called the guy and made plans to go get it the next day. I drove about 80 minutes to get the tank and it was better than I thought. It was a 28gal aquapod from which he removed is livestock and left running, so the rock was still cured. He gave me about 2lbs of rubble that go in the overflow for filtration and about 5 lbs of regular live rock, covered in what I assume from brief reading is maco algae. He said it was useful in absorbing phosphates and out competing most algae. He called one kind an "algae bubble" the other I have no idea what it is. There were a few hitchhiking corals, starfish, and abalones (I think). The tank was full of sand but I took it out, rinsed it in freshwater, let it sit for about 30 min with a high dose of prime, and stirred it when the prime was in there. I then placed my rock, added my sand around the rock (for support) and added fresh 1.025 salinity (not sure on units) of fresh salt water. I purchased about 25 lbs of cured live rock. 10lbs of it looked kinda eh and wasn't very interesting. the other 15lbs I bought from my LFS for 8.50$ a lb, the owner of the store said the rock came from one of his maintenance accounts and he could guarantee that the rock had never been in contact with any chemicals that were toxic to reefs and that the rock was 6 years cured.
Right now I'm letting things "cycle" the owner said I shouldn't have much of a cycle because of how pure the rock was, and I already have a diatom bloom. I bought an API liquid kit, but I got the saltwater masters kit instead of the Reef keepers kit so I have to go exchange that before I'll be able to post any levels.
The only issues I"m having with the tank are the actenic bulb is out and the fans don't seem to be working, I'm assuming both can easily be replaced.
and pictures
The hitch hikers..... (any id's would be very helpful quality isn't great, the only camera i have is my iphone )
In this one there is the closed up coral that looks the same as the first picture and then the little bubble things, the green one i think is another "algae bubble" but not sure on the clear one.
The final rock structure
Right now I'm letting things "cycle" the owner said I shouldn't have much of a cycle because of how pure the rock was, and I already have a diatom bloom. I bought an API liquid kit, but I got the saltwater masters kit instead of the Reef keepers kit so I have to go exchange that before I'll be able to post any levels.
The only issues I"m having with the tank are the actenic bulb is out and the fans don't seem to be working, I'm assuming both can easily be replaced.
and pictures
The hitch hikers..... (any id's would be very helpful
quality isn't great, the only camera i have is my iphone )
In this one there is the closed up coral that looks the same as the first picture and then the little bubble things, the green one i think is another "algae bubble" but not sure on the clear one.
The final rock structure
