[ilovemash]

OK I just got my new 60 gallon tank up and running today, and I have a few questions. First off I put my protein skimmer inside my sump and it seems to be running ok, except a few bubbles leak out into the sump, and now the sump surface is full of tiny white bubbles,is this ok? Second, should my overflow box be completely full? Because mine only fills up about a third of the way, it too has tiny little bubbles on the surface. However there are no bubbles in the actual aquarium area. Third, I did a water test yesterday and my levels were basically perfect, pH=8.2, Ammonia=0, Nitrates=0, and Nitrites=0. Today I ran the same tests and my water test said, pH=7.4, Ammonia=.5ppm, Nitrates=5.0ppm, and Nitrite=0. Is this some kind of normal spike or did I do something wrong? If it will help answer my questions I am using live sand in the tank and also have about 20 lbs of live rock in the tank that I picked up at the lfs and it is already cured and was in their display tank. Thanks for your help!

[rlcline76]

Someone else will have to answer on the equipment. But, you can expect that your parameters will jump back and forth until your tank is fully cycled. I would consider adding more live rock. I have about 1 1lb per gallon and still could have handled a few more pounds!

[ilovemash]

Anyone able to help?