It begins

Sunday 25th March 2007.

Thanks to a handy cash bonus I received, I finally took the plunge and decided to buy myself a (small) aquarium in which I hope to build and keep a mini-reef. I've had a couple of tropical tanks for a number of years (currently running two, one of 190L and one of 55L) so I'm not a total novice though everything I've read suggests the marine tank will be much less forgiving than I am perhaps used to.

After a bit of thought, I plumped for an ORCA 450TL. A nice looking tank with pretty much everything contained within it making it much more acceptable to my wife. It also had a pleasing appearance - a bit like something out of the TV series STARGATE.

When I bought the tank, I also collected a few items the guy at the shop said were important - namely a hydrometer/thermometer, marine salt, substrate and 60L of RO water.

Got home and spent a happy hour or two deciding EXACTLY where the tank should be placed in our lounge, not as easy as I thought it might be. Having successfuly found "the perfect spot", I cleaned the tank with a new cloth and some of the RO water and then sat down to read the instructions (unlike me) to be absolutely certain I did everything right.

Anyone who has purchased one of these tanks will know the frustration I now felt as I attempted to translate the "English" into something meaningful. After a time (it seemed like hours) I finally came to the conclusion that the "instructions" were all but useless and I would have to rely on the little experience I had and some common sense. This blog is, in no small part, a result of the lack of any instructions. I want to be able to look back and see what I did when and perhaps pass on what I learn (good AND bad) to others.

So, I checked that all the flter parts appeared to be in roughly the right places, filled it with 55L+ of RO water, added the substrate, added the salt, set the heater to 25 degrees and sat back. I already like it but confess I was nervous that I may have made a terrible mistake somewhere along the way.

All seemed well as the week progressed. perhaps it was OK after all.