The tank is cycling beautifully and I still haven't made any water changes. So far everything is smelling good which means that nothing is rotting. And that's a good thing. The hitchhiker snail and hermit crab are also alive and well, and signs of copepods and/or amphipods can be seen in a few places. That's also a good thing.
Topping off is a bitch. Basically, as water evaporates it leaves the salts behind so a tiny fall below the water line can make a big difference in a tank this size. This is remedied by constantly re-filling the tank with reverse osmosis water. Usually once in the morning and once at night. Specific gravity has been fairly constant although I feel that my hydrometer often lies. I should probably look into getting a refractometer which not only measures specific gravity accurately but also salinity in the water. Maybe someone reading this might be nice enough to get me one for Christmas. *cough*
The stock power filter that came with the kit seems a bit bleak. I'm afraid it might not be providing enough circulation in the tank although a lot of people have had good results with only the stock filter. I might look into adding a powerhead of some sort to help move around some of the water. Thoughts for the future while I'm cycling.
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