My first 29gal Fowlr

[egkid]

My creepy hitchhiker came out to say hi.

I have learned that this guy is an Echiura worm commonly know as a spoon worm

I have yet to see it's whole body it just stretches it's proboscis a good 6-7" out from a tiny hole in my LR, usually whne the lights go out.

 

[egkid]

How long does it usually take for ammonia to start showing up??

My parameters as of today are
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20ppm
ph 7.8

Salinity according to my hydrometer 1.026 according to my LFS refractometer(sp?) 1.022 When I added water today I added saltwater

The PH should be around 8.2 if I'm not mistaken correct?
I've added Proper pH 8.2 that I use with my african tank but it's still on the low side, should I add another full does when I do a water change?

Also should I do a water change to get my Nitrate levels down or just wait till I see an increase in ammonia?

 

[egkid]

I've also decided on my stocking list hopefully I'll get your guys approval

A pair of ocellaris clown's
A firefish
A mandarin goby (My LFS carries copeopods in bottles and in stock:headbang2
Any suggestions on a clean up crew??

 

[redskins2647]

well

your stock sounds fine but idk if i would bother with a mandarin sometimes even with the bags youll have to buy 1 once a week 15 a week over a lifetime a lotta dough and proper ph is not a good idea causes a very fast ph increase and is only a temporary buffer just a warning

 

[egkid]

What do you recommend to raise my pH, crushed coral if so how much do I add?

Also I noticed my tank is not as clear as usual I took a closer look I think I'm getting a diatom bloom but it's a very light brown. From what I've read it goes away on it's own. While I was researching someone mentioned it means that your cycel is coming to an end?? I honestly don't even think mine has started since I've hadn't had any readings of ammonia yet, I dont plan on adding any fish for another 2 weeks anyway since I'm broke and have to wait till next paycheck.

 

[egkid]

Well yesterday I spotted either another or the same fireworm and decided to throw a trap together real quick, so I got a water bottle cut the top half off then flipped it and shoved it back into the the bottom half of the bottle, then added a raw shrimp and let it sit over night. As expected the "trap" was empty but I left it in the tank while I went to work of course it was still empty. I also left the "trap" in there to let the shrimp decay a little bit to test/start my cycle, anyway when I took the trap out I tested the water and finally got some results.

Ammonia .25ppm
Nitrite .25ppm

Lets see what happens tomorrow

 

[egkid]

Just found this little guy can I get an I.D. so I know whether or not to take him out

 

[egkid]

Checked this morning and my ammonia and nittrites are back to 0. So... what next? Before I put the shrimp in there I've never shown any signs of ammonia or nitrites only nitrates which were 20ppm. Is there any way to test my cycle to see if it's complete?

Also I noticed these tiny almost microscopic bug looking things all over my glass there must be thousands of them any idea on what they are? There's no way I would be able to focus my camera on them.

 

[egkid]

OK I lied heres a picture of them, I'm not talking about the larger ones on the left although an I.D on those would be nice too though.

Here's a full size so you can see how small they are (all the little white specs

Heres the image cropped

 

[snailrider]

You can add a little baking soda to up the PH. Small amounts over time. Not recommended regularly

How is alk?

PH is a complex issue. There are a few good articles on it, I just don't remember where I found them. Maybe wet web media or drfosters.

Some folks resign to a low or high ph, as that is what the tank stabilizes at. Some really like the nano reef parts a and b.

The things on your glass are hard to identify. I have small snails that look similar to the medium sized ones. The tiny things are probably small pods. The two larger, well, I can't tell.

The crab, just keep an eye on it, and if you find it messing with things you don't want him messin with, take him to the fish store or a fellow aquariest.

Looks like you are really enjoying your tank. I enjoy my small critters as much or more than the fish. The darndest things show up. Always interesting too.