The water is stable, so I’m going to go ahead and get live rock today from the LFS that’s the most “L”. I’m not too worried about the ammonia, nitrite, & nitrate readings because I’m not sure I’m reading the ammonia correctly and all those numbers will change when the tank cycles. The ammonia and nitrite (if present at all) are negligible and the nitrate is bareable. I’m excited about the prospect of watching this tank cycle. I know that sounds weird, but I’m fascinated by the idea that live rock can be part of the filtration system—in this case it is the filtration system!

I just hope I can find a nice rock the right size for my tank. I scoped out the LFS’s live rock last Saturday. It’s in a black tub, with little light. I couldn’t see much of anything. I’m concerned that with such low light levels, the cured Fiji rock might be dead rock instead of live, though I thought I glimpsed something pink down in the bottom. I’m kind of nervous as well as excited about “rockin’ the picoreef” today. This rock–I’m expecting I’ll end up with only one piece, given the tank dimensions–will be the aquarium’s main inhabitant for a while. The rock will very much be the star of the tank. My freshwater tank has fish and plants. This tank will have only A Rock. I just hope it’s a good rock.

I’ll post a pic later.