IM EXT 50

[TheWB]

I hear you! The unexpected death of my Orphek Natura due to a power surge and the purchase of the ATI Straton was costly. I am hoping the Maven is actually released some day. I travel for research for weeks/a month at a time every summer, so having a auto tester would be amazing.

Yeah, you definitely need some form of auto testing if you're away that much. I've seen good things written about the Aquawiz that would at least get Alkalinity automated for you. The Trident N/P doesn't seem to have good reviews but it's been a while since I have seen any so maybe whatever issues it was having have been addressed?

 

[Arkayology]

Yeah, you definitely need some form of auto testing if you're away that much. I've seen good things written about the Aquawiz that would at least get Alkalinity automated for you. The Trident N/P doesn't seem to have good reviews but it's been a while since I have seen any so maybe whatever issues it was having have been addressed?

I've thought about the Aquawiz, but it just seems too expensive for how basic/simple it is. Automating alk testing would be nice. I have finally got this tank steady at 7.5dkh dosing 25ml of AFR daily. I haven't read anything about the Trident NP. Interesting that the reviews are meh. I'll have to look into that.

 

[Arkayology]

In other news, I think I found a baby trochus tectus snail in the sump, at least I hope that is what it is. I think it's pretty cool that it made it to that stage. I've had plenty of red banded trochus babies in the past, but never tectus. the red banded trochus snail babies are really annoying because they like the climb into my skimmer and mess with the impeller. I guess it is a sign that things are really good in the tank. I have TONS of sponge too.

 

[Arkayology]

Update!

The tank is coming along very nicely. Once I determined how much ammonium chloride and Neophos to dose (~5ml/day), the nutrients have stabilized and growth has taken off. Ulva is starting to grow everywhere. I have a blue tux urchin that is eating some of it, but I may have to do more to control it.

Check out the growth compared to 8/19/26

to today's FTS - 11/8/26

Left side - PC superman (top left) is basing out, PC rainbow (highest acro) is basing and branching with great color. The WWC yellow tip on the right of the pic is showing excellent growth. Also pictured are ORA red planet, Greg Hillar purple something, a millipora, and others.

Right side - Perhaps the largest coral now is the rainbow loom on the center-left in the pic. This thing is getting pretty big and growing. the CR daredevil is really starting to color up with more blue and red shaggy polyps. The ORA hawkins echinata isn't doing much yet, but it's not doing poorly I think.

 

[Arkayology]

Well.... I had no idea that those pics would be the last of that tank. I just had to take it down because it developed a leak. I still am not sure where exactly, but it was leaking from the left side on both ends. I am pretty broken up about it. All corals are in my frag tank and the fish are in a tote.

Luckily I was home and it was a very slow leak, but I estimate maybe a quarter gallon leaked out. A little got down below the wood floor and leaked through to the basement, but not a lot. I have fans and a dehumidifier running in the basement to dry it up.

I am not sure what the next step is. I don't want to leave the hobby, but I have no idea what my next tank should be.

 

[UncommonSense]

Well.... I had no idea that those pics would be the last of that tank. I just had to take it down because it developed a leak. I still am not sure where exactly, but it was leaking from the left side on both ends. I am pretty broken up about it. All corals are in my frag tank and the fish are in a tote.

Luckily I was home and it was a very slow leak, but I estimate maybe a quarter gallon leaked out. A little got down below the wood floor and leaked through to the basement, but not a lot. I have fans and a dehumidifier running in the basement to dry it up.

I am not sure what the next step is. I don't want to leave the hobby, but I have no idea what my next tank should be.

Oof… this is terrible news… I’m so sorry!

The priority now is the livestock, and ensuring they’re in a stable holding environment, allowing you to take your time deciding on your next steps, vs. being rushed into a hasty decision!

would you like some advice on long-term livestock holding strategies?

 

[ReeferTCG]

Maybe find someone in your local group willing to hold or lend you a tank while you buy a new one? Usually some stores have some ready to go.

 

[TheWB]

Well.... I had no idea that those pics would be the last of that tank. I just had to take it down because it developed a leak. I still am not sure where exactly, but it was leaking from the left side on both ends. I am pretty broken up about it. All corals are in my frag tank and the fish are in a tote.

Luckily I was home and it was a very slow leak, but I estimate maybe a quarter gallon leaked out. A little got down below the wood floor and leaked through to the basement, but not a lot. I have fans and a dehumidifier running in the basement to dry it up.

I am not sure what the next step is. I don't want to leave the hobby, but I have no idea what my next tank should be.

Oh man I am so sorry to hear this. I'm happy to hear that you were home and caught the leak in time though. As you are aware from my recent experience it doesn't take a whole lot of saltwater or time to cause a huge amount of damage. I think 60 gallon breeders are on sale for $110.00 right now. That, or a 40b could be a cheap alternative to a plastic tote to hold the fish while you plan your next moves. I was thinking about getting one to hold my fish temporarily while the tank gets moved to the garage but it would have to be inside the house and my wife was not having it. Make sure you get everything cleaned up and dried up, the saltwater is much worse than fresh water in this situation.
My experience with Advanced Acrylics was terrible from a customer service standpoint but if you are happy with that frag tank he made for you that might be the way to go for a new tank. Can't believe I just wrote that. As much as I don't like that guy my tank is an absolute beast, he really did a great job building it. Something to think about if he did a good job on the frag tank.

 

[Arkayology]

Oh man I am so sorry to hear this. I'm happy to hear that you were home and caught the leak in time though. As you are aware from my recent experience it doesn't take a whole lot of saltwater or time to cause a huge amount of damage. I think 60 gallon breeders are on sale for $110.00 right now. That, or a 40b could be a cheap alternative to a plastic tote to hold the fish while you plan your next moves. I was thinking about getting one to hold my fish temporarily while the tank gets moved to the garage but it would have to be inside the house and my wife was not having it. Make sure you get everything cleaned up and dried up, the saltwater is much worse than fresh water in this situation.
My experience with Advanced Acrylics was terrible from a customer service standpoint but if you are happy with that frag tank he made for you that might be the way to go for a new tank. Can't believe I just wrote that. As much as I don't like that guy my tank is an absolute beast, he really did a great job building it. Something to think about if he did a good job on the frag tank.

I have a fan pointed at the floor where the tank was as well as a dehumifier and strong fan in the basement pointed up. I estimate that less than a half gallon leaked out, but it definitely went under the wood floorboards and leaked into the insulation. I will be working in the basement to take the insulation down after work today. Worst case is that I just replace a bit of insulation, but I want it to be dry. So far, there doesn't seem to be much damage to the floor. A couple spots where the seams are on the boards look slightly swelled, but it's not that big of a deal. I am mostly worried about the water in the insulation causing mold to grow.

The corals and inverts are in the frag tank. The funny thing is that I was planning to take the frag tank down and sell it later this week at the local frag swap. I've not had the time to really devote to keeping the parameters ideal, so it has been neglected. Now, I did a almost 100% water change with tank water and will be dosing to try to keep the frags and colonies happy. We will see.

I sent an email to IM to see what they can do for me. It's out of the warranty period, but I still trust their tanks enough to get it another shot. I am thinking about getting a 75 ext this time. I want a little more room and depth so keep some fish that require larger tanks, possibly an anthias. The bummer is that it looks like I won't get the new tank until December or January due to them selling all their stock with the recent Black Friday sales. If I don't go with another, I honestly have no idea what tank I will get. Possibly an UNS? Their stands are metal (a must for me) and have some excellent features. The tanks look pretty well made with the mitered corners too. I would really like to get a NYOS tank, but I will never not have a metal stand for an aquarium.

 

[TheWB]

I have a fan pointed at the floor where the tank was as well as a dehumifier and strong fan in the basement pointed up. I estimate that less than a half gallon leaked out, but it definitely went under the wood floorboards and leaked into the insulation. I will be working in the basement to take the insulation down after work today. Worst case is that I just replace a bit of insulation, but I want it to be dry. So far, there doesn't seem to be much damage to the floor. A couple spots where the seams are on the boards look slightly swelled, but it's not that big of a deal. I am mostly worried about the water in the insulation causing mold to grow.

The corals and inverts are in the frag tank. The funny thing is that I was planning to take the frag tank down and sell it later this week at the local frag swap. I've not had the time to really devote to keeping the parameters ideal, so it has been neglected. Now, I did a almost 100% water change with tank water and will be dosing to try to keep the frags and colonies happy. We will see.

I sent an email to IM to see what they can do for me. It's out of the warranty period, but I still trust their tanks enough to get it another shot. I am thinking about getting a 75 ext this time. I want a little more room and depth so keep some fish that require larger tanks, possibly an anthias. The bummer is that it looks like I won't get the new tank until December or January due to them selling all their stock with the recent Black Friday sales. If I don't go with another, I honestly have no idea what tank I will get. Possibly an UNS? Their stands are metal (a must for me) and have some excellent features. The tanks look pretty well made with the mitered corners too. I would really like to get a NYOS tank, but I will never not have a metal stand for an aquarium.

Sounds like you have a good plan for the water mitigation. I was told that the mold can be particularly nasty from a saltwater spill. I didn't research it so I don't know if thats true or not but why risk it.
I really like the UNS tanks and stands. They seem high quality and well thought out. I'm not looking to upgrade but if I ever did want a bigger tank they would be high on my list. Especially since now I can consider sumped systems now that the tank will live in the garage.