6th week into cycle. Salifert & Hagen results

[notatallhappygolucky]

Hi all,

Just wanted to report the progress of my cycle @ the 6 week mark. I tested this morning with both my Hagen & new Salifert tests (only 3 sali).

10:30-11:15 am, Salinity 1.025+, 78.5F, pH 8.04

Hagen
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Ammonia: 0
Ca - 580-600

...
Salifert

Calcium: 500
Phosphate: 0
KH: 8
Alk: 2.855

I'm using Oceanic salt.

The pH seems unusually low but I normally check early in the morning & in the afternoon/evening when it seems to read a 10th higher. I guess a recalibration of the pp pH probe is next.

Geoff, the Black snails with white specks seem to stick around. It's only moved ~4" since I first saw it - no sign of the smaller one. It seems to strip the LR.

I see no more signs of cyanobacteria, have tons of pods, there's a little HA & bubble algae I blow off. I need to siphon the deitritus within an hour or few.

I also installed a dual-inline TDS meter this morning - the tap water has 164 TDS, the RO/DI has 000.

[notatallhappygolucky]

I'm getting anxious - thinking of picking something up from the LFS - something with fins...

[Sprayin70]

Would you post some pics? Please LOL

[notatallhappygolucky]

2 clowns & a hammer coral??

Will they wipe out the pods? It's not too soon is it? 6 week cycle, no ammonia/nitrate/nitrite for 3+ weeks. Do I need to get snails too? A crab? I still don't have my rock the way I want it, will rearranging the rock freak the fish out?

[Loverotties]

No ,they will be ok!Clown are in the damsel family(they are tuff!)

[mdcorcoran]

They shouldn't get into your pods. Get snails to help clean stuff up and crabs too. I rearrange my rock with no problems to the fish, although sometimes they swim into holes in the rock and then I can't take it out of the tank.

[notatallhappygolucky]

Came back from the LFS w/ new life!

3 hermit crabs (one DOA)
and a bicolor blenny

I'm loving the blenny, what a cute little bugger. He's purple on the front half, orange on the back end. I didn't know what to get him for food so I picked up some sinking pellets & then frozen mysis. He didn't take after the pellets and I haven't offered mysis yet. DRs F&S' site says they're herbivores so will they take mysis?? How much of the cube should I feed it? Do I need other foods?? Will he be happier with other fish than alone? How long do I need to wait???

Once I dumped him in the tank he settled into a piece of (I think it's fiji but it looks more like tonga) LR & scoped out the surroundings for a while. He's checked out about 2/3 of the tank so far.

I had a torch (lps) picked out but they didn't have any epoxy to glue it to rubble with so that'll be next time.