The last and final step in the process of setting up and starting any kind of aquarium is to let it cycle. Once through this phase we began to SLOWLY turn it into our dream system, which you can do as well, whether it be a reef or not.
This is a picture of our work-in-progress reef tank taken on March 12, 2008. As you can see much has been added to it since we set it up on October 21, 2007, and it will continue to blossom into the beautiful slice-of-the-sea we have always dreamed of having.
- Green Macroalgae Growth Notes: We let the algae grow on the walls of the aquarium. Why? Because it is a natural source of food for the animals. The tang and angel pick at it all day long, and our many types of snails feed on it, primarily at night, which in turn keeps the algae in check. The number one reason snails die in aquariums is they starve to death due to the lack of food! The algae also consumes nitrate and produces oxygen, both of which are beneficial to the health of any saltwater system.
~ Stan & Debbie Hauter
