50 gallon EXT Lagoon build

[Intheflesh]

And then the start of the madness:

My Helper for the day:

Lots of zip ties needed:

 

[Intheflesh]

Open Items:

Tidy up wiring
Install doser, adjust dosing schedule
ATO - purchase and install (I knew I forgot something!)
Need cable to connect WMX
Possibly new doors/facade

 

[JDadX3]

How's the tank doing?

 

[Intheflesh]

So its been a while since my last update. I set this tank up almost a year ago, and I'm not going to lie, I had let is slip a little (lot) after setting it up. We had just moved into a new house, and there were a million projects to do (such is life).

After dealing with some salinity and alk stability issues, the tank has been running quite nicely for the last few months, although it has been going through an "ugly" phase. I am running a zeovit system, and I might have been a bit too aggressive on the nutrient export, which caused some dinos. I tried increasing feeding, and that caused hair algae. lol
I think I have found a happy medium and the hair algae is starting to recede over the last couple weeks. Despite going through this ugly phase, I am seeing growth for the first time in over 6 months.

I have some new fish coming in today, and a Battlebox coming in the first week of April, so stay turned for some updates.

Some things on the horizon:
Building a new "skin" for the steel stand
Apex 2016 model
possibly Trident

 

[Intheflesh]

I was supposed to receive two boxes from live aquaria yesterday, unfortunately only one came and one was stuck in Memphis overnight.
I received the second box today, luckily everything is alive. My yasha gobi is very beat up though. Not sure if he’ll make it.

Everything is in QT for 2 weeks copper treatment and general cure/focus, then 2 weeks observation.

This guy is not going to make it. Fins are completely rotted away :(

 

[Intheflesh]

Newest addition. Maricultured colony from LFS. Need to come up with some crazy name and sell frags for 200/ea lol.
Crappy cell phone pic during acclimation.

 

[Intheflesh]

update on my wild colony. This thing is gonna be sweet.

 

[Intheflesh]

Growth pic. I’m pretty sure this is a BC old blue stag. It’s been growing like a weed the last few months. I feel like I can literally see new growth on a daily basis.

March 16 2021:

April 14 2021:

 

[Intheflesh]

Just received a KILLER battlebox from Battlecorals. The only one I requested was a bonfire (part of the grow out challenge, and a rainbow tenius.

1. BC Bonfire
2. Set for Stun
3. Pink Bubblegum Mille
4. BC Mr. Nuetron
5. Planet Yellow
6. BC Bliss
7. BC Pink Flamingo
8. Sexy's Orange Passion
9. Shaggy Shortcake
10. Sanjays Leprachaun Beard
11. BC Blood bank
12.Unamed Rainbow Tenius
13. BC Baja
14. BC Aquaman
15. Blueghost
16. Wet Thumbs Mother of Pearl
17. BC Bleeding Tree
18. Deep sunset

I have these acclimating right now. Pics to follow!

 

[Intheflesh]

List starts from back left and goes left to right, back to front.

also a few other pics from my other Frag rack

 

[SamMule]

Hey, how is that BC Baja doing for you? I received one a few weeks ago and can't seem to find any info on it.

 

[Intheflesh]

Sorry, just seeing your post now.
Baja is growing really well, just not showing good color. It has completely encrusted and growing some "shoots" from the base. I will try to get a picture when I get home from work.

 

[Intheflesh]

Update on my staghorn. Continues to grow like a weed. Progression: March, April, today. Sorry the first two are really crappy cellphone pics. The last is a slightly less crappy pic.

 

[SamMule]

That looks like great growth! But what about that Baja Spath?

 

[Intheflesh]

Here’s the Baja today. Colors a little lacking, but starting to show some solid growth. (Cell phone pic for now)

 

[Intheflesh]

Not much to update. I have been getting great growth, but not much color. My wild colony has lost its purple tips, but is exploding with new growth. I have been struggling with hair algae over the last few weeks.

For supplements, I've been dosing:

(Manual)
Acropower 2mls twice weekly (recommended dose is 5 ml per 25 gal once per week)
Reef roids 1/8 teaspoon 1/ week
KZ Coral Vitalizer 2 drops/daily
Zeofood 2-3 drops daily
Zeo Bac 1-2 drops 2/week
Zeo start 4 drops x 2 daily
Sponge power 1-2 drops daily

(On Doser)
Aquaforest 3 part (DIY formula, not premixed) 25ml/ea daily spread out over 4 doses per day.

Not going to lie, this is the longest I have had an SPS tank going. In the past, my experience with SPS has been like I was trying to keep them on life support. Its great to come home everyday and see them looking happy with great PE and seeing new growth every day. I just wish I could get them to color up!

I think my problem is I am being too aggressive with nutrient control with the zeovit products, and trying to over compensate by over feeding, and over dosing amino acid products. Hopefully I canb find a happy medium.

I think over the weekend, I will make an effort to set up my camera and take some pictures that are NOT from a crappy old cell phone.


Going forward, I do have plans on upgrading to either a 100 EXT or Fiji Cube 78. Something shallow with a 24x48 foot print. I did order 50 additional lbs of dry rock last week in preparation for the upgrade.

I haven't bought live rock in 15 years (rock in this tank is from my first build from 2006!!); i didn't realize how hard it is to buy REAL tonga live rock any more, either dry or alive.

 

[Captain Hook]

Any update? Got me a battlebox comin in a week

 

[Captain Hook]

Tank looks amazing btw!!!

 

[Intheflesh]

It's been a while since I've updated. I had a huge crash back in Nov 2021 and lost all of my SPS overnight. That was a punch in the gut. I have been more or less fish only since then.
I do have a project lined up that I have been putting off since we moved to the house in 2020. I want to rebuild the 'skin' of my steel stand. Right now, I just have some simple painted poplar panels held on by magnets, and its kind of ugly. Here's my vision (not sold on the door design yet)
I will use 1x2 oak to create a frame, and most likely just buy some pre-built, unfinished doors, and inset them. The doors on the front will hinge, and the side panels will be fully removable (held in place with magnets.