Pics of 3rd week of new tank

[fasteddie]

First off I wanna say thanks to all who replied to my original thread about my first SW tank. It was my first post on this forum and I was thoughtfully welcomed. I had a question about the algae (brown) that covered the tank and someone told me it was diatomes and it would subside and it did. Once my levels were good enough for snails I threw a dozen in and they have been eating like crazy leaving a clean runway in thier wake. It's awesome to watch one on the glass eat each little spec of algae. Also put 4 blue legged hermit crabs in, 2 small, 2 larger. I wanted a Sally lightfoot but I've read negative things about them like trying to catch one, which is lightning fast, because he had eaten thier fish.
Anyhow, I promised a few pics so I will give it a whirl and try to figure out how to do so. It's not much to look at yet but I am *trying* to be patient in this process because I have no idea what I am doing but my better half and I have been doing alot of reading and are pretty much being guided by the beginners book, the guy at the LFS whome we've grown to trust, and the friendly people on this forum. So here it goes, hopefully something other than a red X shows up.

[yote]

Looks great.You've got a great start going there.
But you might want to add a little more live rock along.Just make sure you get rock that good and cured from your LFS.That way you can add it a little at a time without worring about is causing another cycle.

[lightcs4]

Looks like a great start. Good work.

[kyle]

very nice. i think you might want to add a little more live rock like yote said more rock, more bio-filtration. i also like how blue it looks

[Piggy]

Tank is looking good. I have to agree more LR. I would target for 1-2 punds per gallon. Seeing your tank is a 55 you would need between 55-110 pounds. Keep us posted. Welcome to the reef.

[Bifferwine]

Nice job so far!

I second that opinion of sally lightfoots. NOT fish safe at all! I used to have 2 in my old 55. They started off as good scavengers, but when they get big enough (which usually only takes a couple months), they will go after fish. They are lightning fast. I saw my 2 sally lightfoots kill and eat a sixline wrasse and a firefish. That's when I knew they had to go. But they're impossible to catch. The only way I was able to get them out of my tank was when I moved the 55 over to my 240, and I had to take each rock out and find them. They sucked!

[fasteddie]

Originally Posted by Bifferwine

Nice job so far!

I second that opinion of sally lightfoots. NOT fish safe at all! I used to have 2 in my old 55. They started off as good scavengers, but when they get big enough (which usually only takes a couple months), they will go after fish. They are lightning fast. I saw my 2 sally lightfoots kill and eat a sixline wrasse and a firefish. That's when I knew they had to go. But they're impossible to catch. The only way I was able to get them out of my tank was when I moved the 55 over to my 240, and I had to take each rock out and find them. They sucked!

LOL, I hear ya. They are very cool to watch but the cons outweigh the pros.

Yote, I agree with more LR. We just added 2 more small pices with a good amount of color, my LFS has a 75gal 3/4 full of LR with alot of purple. There is a $90 chunk that is almost covered in purple that I would love to break up into smaller peices but, its $90!!!! Nobody said it was going to be a cheap hobby.

I have another question though, what can I expect to see as far as growth on the LR? Any links to LR growth?

Thanks again..Eddie

[lightcs4]

Originally Posted by fasteddie

There is a $90 chunk that is almost covered in purple that I would love to break up into smaller peices but, its $90!!!! Nobody said it was going to be a cheap hobby.

Take a look at dry rock at places like Tampa Bay or Marco Rocks. You can also look in Craigs list or local reefing clubs for people getting rid of live rock. Dry rock runs $2 - $3 a pound and live can be $3 - $5, including shipping.

[yote]

What get for hitch hikers depends on where the rock came from.But if its good rock.You'll get different types of seaweeds,pods,crabs(some good,some bad)shrimp.
Heres a pretty link:
http://tampabaysaltwater.com/
You get all kinds of cool critter with their rock.

[yote]

About the worst you can get on live rock is a mantis shrimp.If you get one of those,you'll be doing this in your tank: