Diary - 75 gal Freshwater to saltwater conversion - WARNING BIG PICS

[fh64lucky]

Great! Now let it sit there a while!!!Patience now will pay ya back later!I think I need to get new lights after looking at yours!Thinking about last time I replaced mine..its been over 3 years.....

[yote]

That new light really set your tank off.Looks great.
Now that ammonia has dropped off,run a check on nitrites and nitrates and see where there at.

[mudrummer012]

Ive been running full tests every night (build good habits from the start and they are easier to maintain...plus its fun to play chemist!!! )

These are the results from last night:
NH3/4: .25ish (its a little bit less then .25)
NO2: 0
NO3: 10-20 (again hard to tell. Its probably somewhere in the middle)
pH: 8.0
temp: 78.5-78.9 (over the course of 2 hours)
Alk: 1.8ish (had to tell with the kit I got but it is on the low end of good)
Cal: 450

Now I have a couple questions. First, how does one change pH in a SW tank? I controlled it in my FW tank with the addition and removal of driftwood (for tannin and such). Is this taken care of by water changes or just better filtration or what? Second, I have to go out of town from Saturday morning to Tuesday evening. Should I turn off the skimmer during this time? I can get my brother to check on the tank but I doubt he will want to empty the collection cup . What is the chance that It might fill up in 3 nights?

[reeffreak]

Welcome,great start and good luck!

They sell buffers for saltwater.I use the Seachem reef buffer,it raises pH to 8.3 no matter how much you use but it will continue to raise akalinity.A good product to set the pH and raise akalinity.During the cycle pH tends to drop,wait til after the cycle before dosing buffer.Check pH right before the lights goes out or right after they go out,pH tend to drop when the lights have been off for several hours.

[mudrummer012]

Originally Posted by reeffreak

pH tend to drop when the lights have been off for several hours.

Well that's good to know. Ill move my tests to the evening (had be doing it before I left for work )

[RAYRAY]

good luck. the photos are great ! keep them comming

[Bifferwine]

That mystery coral you posted that you think is an LPS, I'm pretty sure that's a mushroom. It looks light colored because it's been in the dark, but it should get its color back pretty quickly. To attach it, put some small pieces of rock in the bottom of a plastic cup, then use some rubber bands to secure a piece of mesh (that you can get at a fabric or craft store) on top of the cup. Then put the cup in the bottom of your tank. The mushroom will still get light and flow, but won't be able to float away. Give it a week or so to fully attach to the rocks in the bottom, then you can just epoxy its rock wherever you want it.

[mudrummer012]

Argh!!!

OK good news and bad. Good first.
I found 3 Brittle stars and a baby mushroom coral!!!!

The bad news...I think I have aiptasias!!!

They look like this (not my tank):


Specifically this one:


I found 2 small ones and 1 big one so far.
I cant get pictures cause of where they are in the tank. Where can I get a syringe so I can make up and apply that solution that I saw someone else posted?

[RyanG]

Any pharmacy will sell hypodermics. One of those meat injecter dealies can be found in the cooking section at one of the big stores.

[bobby]

Tank looks very nice. Nice score on the freebes.