It's all about balance...

and getting it right. I tested my marine tank on the weekend to see how things were progressing. It's progressing well actually. One of the more difficult parts of maintaining a marine tank is ensuring the water is always in excellent condition and provides a healthy "natural" environment.

Testing includes pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels. These need to all be within a specific range or the tank can become toxic very quickly. Testing involves chemicals and test tubes and colour charts. All these things appeal to the mad scientist inside me. At this early stage my tank testers, the mollies, are doing a good job. The water is healthy and algae is starting to grow. This is also a good sign that the water is starting to become more biologically sound and no longer a marine desert. Still, I have a few weeks to go before I can be sure the tank is right. The nitrate and nitrite levels need to fight it out until they reach an equilibrium.

Oh, and the randy little mollies had babies again. This time I saved 5 of them and they are isolated in the tank so they don't get eaten this time. I'm enjoying watching them grow day by day. See, I'm not a total monster.