The final install of my aquarium happens next week. I am so excited! There will be the setup and testing, but no critters yet. I will be finding out next week what I need to purchase – artificial salt mix, chemical level indictors, critter food, a hydrometer, nets, perhaps a small refrigerator for food, and an area for a hospital tank. Also, no idea what to do about rockwork. My tank bottom to start with have a minimal amount of sand. My plan is to start with some hermit crabs, some snails, some anemones and maybe a sea star. Then, the cycling process starts. Before a tank, freshwater or salt, is safe to be stocked with critters it needs to go through a series of biological cycles, starting with Ammonia. What follows are Nitrite, Nitrate, Diatoms, Cyanobacteria, and finally Green/Brown algae. Luckily, algae will be my friend not my enemy, as my tanks do not have to look beautiful!
