HHH’s attempt at an IM 25 Lagoon

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happyhourhero

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I cannot get my nitrates up. I am feeding 2 times a day, sometimes more and it’s barely detectable on Red Sea. Some algae is growing on my snails and everything seems happy but I still want around 10.
I usually use Salifert so maybe I’ll order a new kit. It just doesn’t make sense that’s there is so little.
 

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I cannot get my nitrates up. I am feeding 2 times a day, sometimes more and it’s barely detectable on Red Sea. Some algae is growing on my snails and everything seems happy but I still want around 10.
I usually use Salifert so maybe I’ll order a new kit. It just doesn’t make sense that’s there is so little.
I battled the same issue for a while. It’s important to remember that you may have nitrate but it’s just not being detected because it’s being consumed by any algae in the tank. It still wouldn’t hurt to bring it up to a detectable level though
 
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I haven’t seen my pistol shrimp since the first night and the goby has been hanging out alone. My wife and I would hear the shrimp, just never saw it or any evidence of it in the tank. I pulled the media baskets out and sure enough, it was in the return chamber in that 1/2” space below the overflow chamber. I took some rigid tubing and coaxed it out and got it in my hand and I think over the back and into the display but it’s like it teleported once my hand went to the display and I can’t find it :( Hoping it just immediately hid. It usually shrimp float around for a bit. Hopefully in the am I will see evidence that it’s now in the display.
 
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Looks like the shrimp and the goby are back together so hopefully it will be safe and can grow back that claw.
 
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Looks like the shrimp and the goby are back together so hopefully it will be safe and can grow back that claw.
Aaaaaaaaand the goby killed the shrimp. Tore all its legs off and then it’s head. Didn’t see that one coming.
Not sure if I damaged the claw and that’s why it lost it or what but I assume, since it was defenseless, the goby killed it.
 
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My attempts to not get dinos have been expertly executed failures. I have a microscope on the way so Friday I should be able to id which ones I have and go from there. Yay!
 
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UV coming next week. Hopefully I can overcome these ostreopsis dinos.
 
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Plan of attack is the raise nutrients to around 10 Nitrate and .1 Phosphate. I have started dosing neonitro and neophos to achieve this as of yesterday. My Hanna comes in on Wed so I can check Phosphate but I will check nitrates today with my Red Sea kit. It’s been 0 the last couple of times.
Also have a UV coming on Wed that I hope will assist greatly in knocking these out. I have 2 bags of carbon running too. Will update the thread/diary as I progress through treatment.
 
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UV came in and so did my Hanna checker. As expected phosphates were 0.0. I dosed nitrates over the last 2 days and have them at 5 now. Going to ramp up to 10. The dinos have killed my purple monsters and none of the other zoas are looking too hot. Hoping the UV helps make a dent in the dinos.
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Dino fight:

1. Used NeoNitro and NeoPhos to raise to 10 and .10. Am dosing each daily to maintain levels.
2. installed the UV made by IM that fits this tank. Ran it for 36 hours straight during a blackout and am doing so each night while lights are out.
3. Stopped Phyto, no water changes.

Since turning the lights back on, the dinos seem to be gone. Zoas are bouncing back.
Hoping the pattern holds and other types of algae move in. Pods and cuc seem to be doing well despite the dino bloom.
 
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Still fighting pretty good to keep up my nutrients so the dinos don’t come back. I am getting cyano on the sand which is good. Specks of coralline are coming in also.
Ordered another shrimp and a possum wrasse. They should be in on Tuesday. Zoas are looking good now that the dinos aren’t all over them.
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Happy to be getting back into the hobby after about a year off that started with a move across town/ renovation. I have never tried with a smaller tank and am looking forward to the challenge. My favorite corals to grow are acros so I hope I can get a decent sps reef going in due time.

Tank came in today but am waiting on countertop to be done at Lowe’s before I can set it up.

Here’s where I am at so far:

Equipment:
IM 25 tank
Random shaker cabinet with some modification
Mighty Jet return pump
Reef Breeders Photon V2+ Light
Reef Breeders Prism ATO
Hygger powerhead

Substrate:
Marco dry rock. 1 small base, 1 bag of nano shelf, a couple pounds from lfs
Aragalive sand 10lb (in with the gobies)
Tropic Eden Reef Flake 30lbs
Marine Pure Spheres

Livestock:
Pair wheelers shrimp gobies
2 cerith, 1 trochus, 2 astrea, 1 nassarius

Spheres have been cycling with quikcycl and Microbacter XLM for 2 months in an old 20 gal. Gobies have been with me for a month.

My rock scape was created using the rock powder and thin glue method.

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Good effort that scape like how ya get all the flat bits of rock
 
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happyhourhero

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Shrimp and possum wrasse came in healthy. Goby hasn’t found the shrimp yet. Possum wrasse is twice the size of my pink streaked. Wasn’t expecting that lol. They seem to like to hang out tho.
 
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Have a box of live rock from Gulf Live Rock coming in tomorrow I think. Hoping the pieces are nice and small and that I can tuck them strategically and not ruin my negative space scape but I feel the trade off for biodiversity is worth it. Will post some pics of the rock once I get it.
 

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Have a box of live rock from Gulf Live Rock coming in tomorrow I think. Hoping the pieces are nice and small and that I can tuck them strategically and not ruin my negative space scape but I feel the trade off for biodiversity is worth it. Will post some pics of the rock once I get it.
I was just thinking about that 17# nano special they have. It says fist sized rocks which would be perfect. I’ll be interested to see how yours turns out.
 

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