In article ,
Teri G wrote:

Charlie,

It doesn't sound as if you are too far away from where you need to be.
See more below...

Thanks for your comments, Teri. You've helped put things in clearer
perspective...

Keep a close eye on the A/N/N readings. Two weeks isn't really enough
time for a tank to properly cycle, and you will likely see at least a
small cycle. If you start to get Ammonia/Nitrite readings ... do water
changes.

Yes, I thought that ammonia testing at zero so soon was a bit curious. I
guess I've yet to see the spike. Will test every day for awhile.

I wouldn't put any algaes in the display tank. They can become very
invasive and hard to control. If you add more LR, be sure that it is
fully cured before adding, or again, you'll spark a cycle.

We're aiming for a reef tank, so I'd like to see some coraline algae in
there, if only to give the Coral Beauty something to nibble on. He
hasn't been eating much (if any) of the flake or frozen I've been
feeding.

I wouldn't mess with the chemistry via additives. The pH is a bit low,
but not dangerously. The salinity is low, but where you want it depends
on whether you're looking at a reef tank, or fish-only. Kalkwasser is a
great mechanism to maintain calcium, alk, & pH.

Will kalkwasser lower alkalinity and raise PH?

If you're going to do fish-only, I'd gradually (over the course of a
couple weeks), raise the salinity to 1.023. If you're aiming for a
*reef* tank, you should be at 1.025 - 1.026. Also, if you'll be keeping
mobile invertebrates (snails, crabs, etc.), then you'll need to be
around 1.025. The *key* is raising it slowly.

That high, eh? For some reason I thought I was aiming for 1.021. Thanks
for pointing that out.

Can I just remove some tank water, say a gallon, add a bit of salt and
mix well, then return it to the tank? Via the sump, perhaps? A little
bit per day...?

After you wait out any potential cycle, and do a couple water changes to
bring your parameters in check, you might want to think about beefing up
your cleaner crew considerably - a bunch of different snails, maybe a
brittle or serpent star, etc.

Should I put in some live sand first?

Here is a link to my personal site, I have quite a few reference/setup
articles on he

http://home.comcast.net/~76fxe/

Also, here is the reef forum/commmunity that I run - you are welcome to
visit any time - lots of great information and helpful members:

http://www.reefsanctuary.com

Thanks, I'll be there soon!

--Charlie Henderson