Keada's IM 25 - First Time Reefer

[keada714]

First-time reefer here, but I’ve always been drawn to the ocean. I’m an avid fisherman and spearfisher, spending at least once a week out on the Pacific here in SoCal. With that said, I decided to jump into the hobby with the ever-popular Innovative Marine 25 Lagoon.

The tank just finished cycling using TurboStart and Fishless Fuel. It took about 7 days for the ammonia levels to drop to zero. I made a last-minute decision to quarantine any fish before introducing them, so I’m currently getting that setup in place. In the meantime, I’ll continue dosing ammonia chloride until the first fish completes the 15-day QT.

Equipment list
Mighty Jet 326
VCA RFG
Helio 100W heater with controller
Jebao slw 10
Tunze 3155 ATO with 5g water jug
AI Hydra 26 hd
Intake Caddies
Caribsea life rocks
Ocean direct sand ~28lbs

 

[Tookzy]

Nice

 

[keada714]

Picked up a Royal Gramma, Chella, yesterday and started the QT process. I gave it a PraziPro bath, but it didn’t look too good. After transferring it into the copper treatment, it continued to decline and was floating on its side.

This morning, though, it looked much better and was swimming again. I’m thinking it was just extremely stressed, especially since it had just arrived from the supplier before I brought it home. Won’t be making that same mistake again.

 

[Skippy The Meh]

Welcome to the hobby! Love the set up and good for you already setting up a QT! Following along

 

[dvgyfresh]

Gonna be a great tank , excited to see progress

 

[Mebbid]

What is your plan for quarantine? Just copper and prazi?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Following along!

 

[keada714]

What is your plan for quarantine? Just copper and prazi?

Following SRQT with prazi, copper and metro. All in all, it will be 15d.

 

[keada714]

RG finished up QT and, overall, it wasn’t too bad aside from what I believe was extreme stress. It was placed into the DT this past Sunday night. The next morning, I couldn’t find it anywhere. I checked the rear chamber and all around the outside of the tank in case it somehow jumped out, even though the tank has a lid.

I went to work hoping it would show up by the time I got home, but again there was no sign of it, even during feeding. I started getting anxious and decided to get my hands dirty by breaking down the rockwork. Sure enough, it was hiding inside a tiny 1/4" hole in the rocks. I probably should have just been patient and waited for it to feel comfortable enough to explore on its own. Now the rockwork isn’t quite sitting on the glass, and hopefully that doesn’t come back to bite me later when I add a pistol shrimp and goby.

Anyways, below is the list of fish I’m hoping to add. Most of these seem suitable for a nano tank, so I’m hoping the stocking list looks reasonable. CUC will be added as the ugly develops, and corals will follow once the fish stocking is complete.

1) Royal Gramma
2) Yasha Goby with Randall’s Pistol Shrimp
3) Pink Streaked Wrasse
4) Clown Pair

 

[keada714]

A little update..

RG is doing well in the DT. It mostly hides in the rockwork but comes out during feeding when I turn off the return pump and powerhead. Its not a fan of the rp or ph. Lights are still at 50% on a 10-hour schedule with 1-hour ramps.

The tank is showing what looks like diatoms. Tried seeding copepods last week, but I haven’t seen any since. I forgot to acclimate them before release, so they may not have survived. Will seed some more this weekend.

I also picked up a Yasha Goby and Randall’s Pistol Shrimp and started them in separate QT. Unfortunately, the Yasha passed after 7 days during SRQT. It didn't adjusted well to Copper Power and struggled to eat.

The shrimp is doing fine, and I’m waiting for it to molt before moving it into the DT. I’ll try another Yasha, using the hybrid TTM with PraziPro but will get it to eat before starting the QT.