Its official, I've converted to the dark side!

Updates on the clarifying process... looking a bit better now.

nanoreef4.jpg

nanoreef5.jpg
 
Nice start!
 
I rather liked that rock, and I knew it had to be somewhere in the front of the tank. I'll post a more detailed photo of it this evening. (water's much clearer now)
 
Ok, I've been doing a bit of reading, and I'm inclined to believe my salinity is a bit low. The water the store has sold me is right at 1.023, (as measured by a calibrated refractometer) and most sources are telling me I should be more around 1.025. What are your thoughts/feelings about this?
 
So I'm going to end up having to mix a bit of salt into the saltwater I'm buying to get the mix I'm looking for, eh? Well, at least its a small tank, so I can mix up a batch and be good with it for a while. I've got a 5g full of ro/di water, and another 5g which was full of their saltwater, though now its got something like a gallon left. Oh, by the way, pictures incoming. I've spotted signs of life! And other curious things to post. (the rock I bought was all cured, and had been in the storage tank, sans any direct lighting, for up to several months)
 
I believe it... and with my handy macro lens, I'll be able to show off even the tiny little buggers growing in here. :P I intend to fully embrace what a "nano reef" should be... and yes, I do intend to eventually have this little tank running as a full reef. I realize there is a LOT of work that goes into that, and I do not plan to dive headlong into it. I'll take it slow and do my research. Now, as far as the cycling process goes, is the salinity going to play a huge factor either way? I realize that I intend to raise it by .002, but that means quite a lot on the microscopic level. (another curiosity... what happens to corals in water which is slightly deficient of salt levels?)
 
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