10g low-budget diy nano reef

[Nevin]

Nitrite .2 mg/L
Ammonia 1.2-2.4 mg/L

Brown diatoms on the sand and glass--pretty mild so far compared to the algae I've grown in my freshwater tanks.

Added 1 cup live sand from another source 2 days ago to seed mine. Added 8 lbs. live rock tonight for a total of 10--7 lb. of it was in a big square block that I got cheap and split in half. Might reduce some of it to rubble for the refugium.

I like the design of the tank so far--it's nice to have the fluctuations in water level limited to the sump area, though it might cause problems for a protein skimmer if it is sensitive to variation in water level. Does anyone know how much of a problem this is with the Rio nano skimmer? Evaporation seems high to me--about 1 litre per week.

Any advice more than welcome...

Regards,
Nevin