not aquascaped yet
ok so I put about 30-35 pounds of the old liverock into the 24g tank. I tested the nitrates a day later and they tested at 25ppm
So I grabbed a maxijet and slowly blew off each rock meticulously. After they were all cleaned off and in a separate bucket the tank water was so nasty you couldn't see 2" into the water.
I did a 100% water change with tap water and now, a day later, it tests 0.5 ppm nitrate. Much better levels.
So I've got an AC70 HOB hanging on the back for aprox 350gph water flow. I have a hydor koralia 400gph pump on the left end. I have two maxijet's as well, one on either end, that alternate on a coralife light timer every 15 minutes.
I'm gonna source out a few very nice pieces of liverock, either from an LFS or from other reefers to kinda "seed" the tank with. I think leaving the liverock in the bin has produced a benefit. Almost all the liverock I have in the tank has no coraline on it. It's died and flaked off, leaving nice open liverock. I won't be aquascaping the rock for a few days.
new to-do list:
install RO/DI unit
Find a good piece or two of liverock as seeder
final rinse of all rock pieces
100% change with RO/DI water
monitor for a few days before turning light on
turn light on, buy coral
