Ray

Equipment:	Livestock:	Livestock (continued):
46 gallon bowfront Tank	Xenia	Left handed hermit crabs (15)
Power Compact lighting (192 Watts)	Brain Coral	Astrea snails (10)
70 lbs of live rocks, 10 lbs of sand	Sun Coral	Red leg Hermit crabs (15)
Marineland Magnum Deluxe carbon filtering	2 Gorginians	Margarita snails (20)
Cyclone Protein Skimmer	Purple Mushrooms	1 black brittle star
	Brown Mushrooms	1 long spine sea urchin
	Brown Polyps	1 cleaner shrimp
	Finger Leather Coral	Yellow Tang
	Bubble Coral	Tomato Clownfish
	Lionfish	Blue damsels

I started the tank on 9/28/2000. It took about six weeks for the tank to cycle. I started with four damsels, a few hermits, crabs, and turbo snails, 50 lbs. of live rocks and 10 lbs. of sand. Over time, I had to replace three damsels. I did not purchase power compact lighting until four weeks into it. I added a 192 watts power compact before adding corals. The tank is now thriving. I can see macro algae growing and my xenia has propagated on its own. The green algae growth was controlled after I added phosphate absorbing resin into my carbon filtering canister. I change about 5 - 10 gallons of water every two to three weeks. I have a thirty two gallon drum that I have pre mixed salt water and is sitting in my garage. I tested the tank water about once a week and the pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels have been very stable.