200G IM EXT (First tank ever)

[UncommonSense]

Hey! So... would you believe me if I said I tried this, I did use the um... **** whats the name of it (common red brand) version of this! I also wrapped it in filter floss and through it in the tank. The polisher actually didn't pull much out, I was so surprised! Marineland, that was it, when I would pull it out to swap the floss after 24 hours it would still be completely clean lol

Ah! These things suck if you just set them in the tank and let them run… there’s not enough throughput (GPH is way too low to really efficiently polish a big tank)!

The trick is using an actual utility pump, with an external filter cartridge, and tubing so you can use it like a blower, or vacuum during periodic manual silt removal!


Alternatively, you can use a simple siphon gravel vacuum such as is seen in freshwater, running it from display to sump, discharging into a fine (<=50 micron) filter sock!

— the trick here is manual target cleaning, vs. passive water polishing!

 

[vittpsu21]

Ah! These things suck if you just set them in the tank and let them run… there’s not enough throughput (GPH is way too low to really efficiently polish a big tank)!

The trick is using an actual utility pump, with an external filter cartridge, and tubing so you can use it like a blower, or vacuum during periodic manual silt removal!


Alternatively, you can use a simple siphon gravel vacuum such as is seen in freshwater, running it from display to sump, discharging into a fine (<=50 micron) filter sock!

— the trick here is manual target cleaning, vs. passive water polishing!

ok this makes more sense to me tbh, I might have to give this a go, ever since I added wrasses I am often not in the display. All my water changes get done via sump, etc now...

I have been mulling the idea of also added 14 lbs of ultra live tbs sand into my refug under the rock. I am just not sure if it is worth the cost with how far along my tank is at this point. I figure more biodiversity couldn't hurt though

 

[UncommonSense]

I have been mulling the idea of also added 14 lbs of ultra live tbs sand into my refug under the rock. I am just not sure if it is worth the cost with how far along my tank is at this point. I figure more biodiversity couldn't hurt though

This is up to you, though I’d think of getting the live rock, instead! (Sand in sumps fills full of silt; keeping it bare bottom keeps it simple to clean!)

You don’t need premium rock for sump duty, and it minimizes the risk of hitchhiking pests entering the display!

 

[That Crusso Kid]

I think what is causing all your problems is the Hydros system. If I were you, I'd sell it all to me for what you paid for it plus shipping, of course!

 

[vittpsu21]

Alright so, we tested today Nitrate still the same as last week (high) and phos went from 0.11 to 0.02. So after much investigation, I have come up with another theory. My skimmer through all of this has not been pulling almost anything for 2-3 weeks, the floss was catching a lot and making the skimmer way less effective. So my new theory might be, the skimmer might be directly corelated to the nitrate increase. The nitrate only started rising the last 2 weeks, which is probably 1 week short of when I started using floss, otherwise nitrate was around 25 for months. So I have went back to socks, and the skimmer instantly started pulling normally again. Will take a few weeks to test, but we shall see

 

[vittpsu21]

Alright the tank has finally rounded a bend, the Nitrates went down to the 40's (pre-wc) so they will be somewhere in the 30's after. The tank looks all around way more clean and is trending in the right direction, the refug has also begun to get back to normal. Our next obstacle is the large bubble algae outbreak we have going on, I have ordered some pithos crabs to try with the existing emeralds to see how it goes. I am hoping for a more natural approach on this rather than manual labor.

Our tangs (yellow, naso, kole) should ship this week from doctor reefs, these will be our last fish I add to the tank until 12 months when I add our mandarin. That will be our entire stocking long term, I am really looking forward to sitting back keeping up with the tank and enjoying watching things grow in the near future. There are still fines in the water and likely will continue for a bit, but the corals that were annoyed are already looking happier already. The hope is the fines will continue to become less and the diamond gobys will get through the backlog of mess. The floss is already looking much lighter than it was previously every 24 hours, so all things seem to be pointed in the right direction

 

[vittpsu21]

The Tangs got delayed for a week (last week), they didn't pass final inspection before shipping, which I am fine with would much rather healthy living fish arrive!

On a sidenote the bubble algae been going wild, I had emeralds, but also decided last week to add some pithos crabs (never had before). I added about 10 and we will see how they do. Hopefully they can help knock it all back as I would love to avoid manual intervention if possible! These crabs are absolutely enormous though and I didn't realize it lol

 

[UncommonSense]

The Tangs got delayed for a week (last week), they didn't pass final inspection before shipping, which I am fine with would much rather healthy living fish arrive!

On a sidenote the bubble algae been going wild, I had emeralds, but also decided last week to add some pithos crabs (never had before). I added about 10 and we will see how they do. Hopefully they can help knock it all back as I would love to avoid manual intervention if possible! These crabs are absolutely enormous though and I didn't realize it lol

Just keep an eye on these guys…. Myself, and many others have had them start to eat coral polyps eventually!

 

[vittpsu21]

Just keep an eye on these guys…. Myself, and many others have had them start to eat coral polyps eventually!

Will do, so far they are absolutely obliterating the bubble algae which I am loving, I am still however having this long standing fight with the fines from early May when I added both Diamond Gobies. I am pretty sure they are removing them but they aren't making it down the overflow fast enough to export all of them and then some are resettling. I ordered a 4th mp40 tonight in hopes that adding more circular flow might help with export. Its been a struggle I waited 2 months before ordering just to make sure it wouldnt' die off first but holy ****

 

[UncommonSense]

Will do, so far they are absolutely obliterating the bubble algae which I am loving, I am still however having this long standing fight with the fines from early May when I added both Diamond Gobies. I am pretty sure they are removing them but they aren't making it down the overflow fast enough to export all of them and then some are resettling. I ordered a 4th mp40 tonight in hopes that adding more circular flow might help with export. Its been a struggle I waited 2 months before ordering just to make sure it wouldnt' die off first but holy ****

Yeah that’s wild… is it possible that the fines are running directly through your mechanical filtration, too?

 

[vittpsu21]

Yeah that’s wild… is it possible that the fines are running directly through your mechanical filtration, too?

nope, been changing filter floss daily for at least 1.5 months total, its catching a lot, it was very dirty 6-7 weeks ago, it is still dirty but far less dirty this week. Let me post a pic from my phone from today

 

[vittpsu21]

This was today after 24 hours, it was 3x this bad originally. My fish load no way produces this much daily so they are def still working on a backlog, and my only guess is it’s resettling (some of it) hence the extra powrhead order to try help

 

[UncommonSense]

This was today after 24 hours, it was 3x this bad originally. My fish load no way produces this much daily so they are def still working on a backlog, and my only guess is it’s resettling (some of it) hence the extra powrhead order to try help

Yeah that does look sandy… wow! I’m glad I’ve only ever had one sand sifter at a time!

 

[vittpsu21]

Yeah I gotta, either catch one, or figure out a way to get things rotating down the back more quickly. I wasn't sure what to do, in hindsight woulda put one in my 40 and one in display but too late for that now lol

 

[UncommonSense]

Yeah I gotta, either catch one, or figure out a way to get things rotating down the back more quickly. I wasn't sure what to do, in hindsight woulda put one in my 40 and one in display but too late for that now lol

What about just getting a big freshwater aquarium style gravel vaccum and siphoning off a bunch of the fines into a filter sock stuck in the sump?

https://www.petco.com/product/imagi...MI_-a-0dPTlQMVbdDCBB3adx0aEAQYASACEgL8jPD_BwE
The XXL example here has a long enough clear pipe segment that it should keep the bigger chunks of substrate from getting siphoned out, while the smaller, lighter silt particles do get siphoned down to the sump filter sock….

This method works well to remove debris without removing water! — as long as you aren’t siphoning more water out to the sump than the return pump can replace, you can siphon indefinitely!

 

[vittpsu21]

yeah I was looking at this a bit, my last set of fish arrive this week (tangs they got delayed a week) so imma let them settle add the 4th mp40 and then reasses is my plan. My one friend told me about somehow also bubbling your water to clear off the rocks somehow, hes been doing this a long time, I can't really remember what he was saying but basically you turn the tank into a skimmer for a very short period and it pulls everything off rocks and then out. I am not sure if I am remembering right I would have to ask him again too

 

[vittpsu21]

Alright two big changes! We added a fourth mp40 on the side that only had one and near the top. My
Hope is it will help export the fines and also make mit one any dead zones, time will tell, but nervous as I don’t want to upset any of the existing corals but the current situation after 2+ months needed some more leverage I think.


Also the three tangs have arrive: the yellow and Kole are both picking at everything on the rocks and sand so that’s been good to see. The Naso has picked some but not as much but is swimming the entire tank, I’ve gotten the yellow and the Kole to eat frozen but the Naso has mouthed it a few times and spit it out! Haven’t gotten them to take nori yet, have tried geeen, purple, and even put some red into the water column. They all seem interested in it but haven’t yet started to crush it, I’d love to see them rag it off the clip soon!

This was from the other day when I put them in!

 

[vittpsu21]

In since Thursday, update pics!

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Just saw this, and popped on to say hey! I just ordered a 200 EXT myself about 5 hours ago. The screen top came with it? I was wondering if it would. Did you order straight from IM or through someone else? I ordered through saltwateraquarium.com but it ships direct from IM so I imagine i'll get the exact same thing as you. Now... back to reading through your thread

 

[vittpsu21]

Just saw this, and popped on to say hey! I just ordered a 200 EXT myself about 5 hours ago. The screen top came with it? I was wondering if it would. Did you order straight from IM or through someone else? I ordered through saltwateraquarium.com but it ships direct from IM so I imagine i'll get the exact same thing as you. Now... back to reading through your thread

Directly from IM for me, the top did come with it though I did add to mine to add the avast auto feeder to it! The lid is sadly the only part of this tank I hate