Reef Psychology
Active Member
1 Month Old Tank Shot (November 3, 2023
(Need to sit down for a few hours adjusting lights and testing camera settings. Will try to do that soon and take better photos.)
November 4, 2023 marks one month for this 75 gallon Innovative Marine aquarium and thought I’d finally start documenting this journey. Since starting in freshwater as a child I’ve mainly kept smaller aquariums. Besides a few anomalies (80g and 120g reefs), most of my saltwater aquariums have been sub 38g tanks. Like the movie quote, "Don't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling..." I've always loved nano’s because they can be broken down in a few hours and moved across the country or city without much ado. Not this one.
I wanted as few compromises as possible with this tank; which means I spent more than I would normally. The Innovative Marine INT tank/sump/stand combos have one unique compromise IMO – the sump is big. There isn’t much room under the stand which is why I have an external top-off reservoir and separate control cabinet. They are all but mandatory for the 75G tanks. Unless you plan on drilling into aluminum or using two-sided taping/Velcro everything onto the doors. Oh, those doors are sweet though. Four doors gives you complete access under the tank. I never knew it would be so nice to be able to get under the stand from three directions! It’s almost like having a peninsula.
Old 80-gallon reef from 2005. 2x250w MH and 4xT5 with Caulerpa 24/7 refugium. Those electric bills hurt!
Vermetid snails as far as the eyes can see!
For this tank I used bio-media and rock (in sump) from a two-year-old and a ten-month-old tank. This was my methodology.
Aquaforest Reef Salt
Caribsea Ocean Direct Live Reef Sand 40lbs
Aquaforest Bio S: 4 Drops/day for 2 weeks then only with coral feeding
Algae Barn PNS Substrate Sauce ~20mL Daily Until Empty
Algae Barn EcoPods (2)
Seachem Stability: As per instructions after adding fish
Fauna Marin Rebiotic: ¼ Dose 1/week starting week 2
Fauna Marin Bacto Balls: 4 replaced every 2 weeks
Fauna Marin Bacto Therapy: 1/Week or ¼ Dose (Explain below)
Fauna Marin Coral Balance: ¼ Dose per week as flocculant (after adding corals)
Fish Feeding: 2-3/day Frozen Mysis/Brine/Pellets soaked in Vit & Selcon
Coral Feeding: 2/Week FM Organics, FM Min S, Phyto+Zoo, Reefroids and FM Coral Dust (equates to ¼ of weekly dose).
Here’s what I did…
Day One – Added sand, water, filter socks and NO SKIMMER FOR 3 WEEKS.
Day Two – Add cube of Mysis, Replaced all mechanical media, tossed seasoned LR into the sump, two bags of seeded Seachem Matrix, jars of pods and some Ocean Magik from Algae Barn (Daily).
Day Three – Started Fauna Marin Rebiotic and PNS Substrate Sauce from Algae Barn.
Day Four – Tested water. No ammonia, no nitrites, traces of nitrates. Tossed in another cube of mysis. Tested PAR around tank. Will fine tune later. 270’ish top of rocks & 190’ish on the sand bed.
Day Five – Tested water – no changes. Added four small fish. Added Stability as per instcrutions.
Day Six – Tested water – no changes. Fish look happy. Diatoms forming on sand bed. Mild bacterial [fog] bloom (no detectable ammonia).
Day Seven – Tested water – zero across the board. Fish look happy. Begin dose Fauna Marin Bacto Therapy
Day Eight – Tossed in several smaller corals. Diatoms now all over the sand bed.
Day Nine – Watch and wait.
Day Ten – Diatoms now going away. Changing Filter socks. Now using 1x300 micron filter sock and 2 mesh socks. One mesh sock has Chemi-Pure Blue (for polishing and chemical filtration – will remove soon) and the second Fauna Marin Bacto Balls. Begin dosing Fauna Marin Coral Balance.
Day Eleven – Diatoms gone. Very light algae film on glass. Adding some snails and a couple of hermit crabs.
From day twelve through twenty it’s mainly just feeding, watching, and began adding Tropic Marin AfR (5 mL/day) and changing the single filter sock every 4-5 days. Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and Phosphates are all at zero. Want to raise Nitrate & Phosphates, but it’s a challenge. Ordered and installed an AquaMaxx skimmer from Bulk Reef Supply - pump was shot. It runs for 10 second, shuts off, then restarts. Can also hear a loud buzzing. Emailed them and they are sending out another pump. Should arrive next week. For now, I have an AquaMaxx WS-1 which is pulling out light brown wet skim.
Setting things up.
The Equipment list
Display Tank: Innovative Marine 75g INT Aquarium – Glass
Stand: White APS Aluminum
Sump: 39g 27” RFS27 (3 chamber acrylic)
Protein Skimmer: AquaMaxx DFC-120 (if it ever works)
Chemical Filtration: Chemi-Pure Blue (2-3 months then use carbon on and off)
Return Pump: Mighty Jet XL DC set ~1,600gph
Water Circulation: 2 Nero 3’s @ 65% power
Lighting: 2x XR15 Gen 6 Radion Pro’s & 1 Kessil 360W-E Tuna Blue LED
Calc/Alk/Mag/Trace: Red Sea ReefDose-2 & Tropic Marin All-for-Reef
Auto-Top off: AutoAqua Smart ATO Lite w/ 5-gallon IM glass reservoir
Heating/Cooling: Inkbird ITC-308S, 2x Amazon Fans, NO heater as of yet
System Control: CoralVue Hydros Control 4 & Power 4 Outlet
Other: Using Under Cabinet Motion Detection Lights from Amazon
Testing Par using ParWise and DIY wand (Finalize in coming weeks)
Control Cabinet.
Water Parameters
Temp: 78-80 (Balancing evaporation with humidity levels in house. Had to get a dehumidifier as humidity was reaching 63%. Got it around 53% now, but I’d like it lower.)
pH: 7.96 – 8.08 Daily (Want to increase this)
Specific gravity: 1.026
NO3: 0ppm (Want it in the 8-15 range)
Ca: 410-415 ppm.
Alk: 7.2 dkh (Moving to 8; tank is still stabilizing.)
Mg: 1350ppm
PO4: 0ppm (Want it in the 0.03 – 0.08 range)
I’ve always had trouble keeping nutrient levels above zero. I’m trying to feed the fish and corals as much as possible while watching the tank closely for signs of rising nutrients. I am kind of a clean freak though. I’m trying to leave the filter socks in the tank for longer than a few days. The little skimmer is also not pulling very much out despite having 4 fish and feeding 2-3 times a day.
Ordered fish from Dr. Reef’s Quarantined Fish a few weeks ago – The ONLY online fish vendor I’m probably going to ever order from besides ORA drop shipping! So far, the previous 2 orders were excellent save 1 fish that was obviously sickly. I give Dr. Reef 4.5 stars (will revise after the next order). Average wait time is about a month for more common fish. I have 2 tanks so not sure what is going to go where, but most, maybe all, are headed for the 75-gallon.
Coming In Next Week
Tomini Tang
Midas Blenny
Royal Gramma
Carpenter Wrasse
Lubbock’s Wrasse
Banggai Cardinal
Currently
2x Ocellaris Clowns
1x Neon Gobi
1x Springer Damsel
1x Cleaner Shrimp
Some snails and hermits
(Need to sit down for a few hours adjusting lights and testing camera settings. Will try to do that soon and take better photos.)
November 4, 2023 marks one month for this 75 gallon Innovative Marine aquarium and thought I’d finally start documenting this journey. Since starting in freshwater as a child I’ve mainly kept smaller aquariums. Besides a few anomalies (80g and 120g reefs), most of my saltwater aquariums have been sub 38g tanks. Like the movie quote, "Don't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling..." I've always loved nano’s because they can be broken down in a few hours and moved across the country or city without much ado. Not this one.
I wanted as few compromises as possible with this tank; which means I spent more than I would normally. The Innovative Marine INT tank/sump/stand combos have one unique compromise IMO – the sump is big. There isn’t much room under the stand which is why I have an external top-off reservoir and separate control cabinet. They are all but mandatory for the 75G tanks. Unless you plan on drilling into aluminum or using two-sided taping/Velcro everything onto the doors. Oh, those doors are sweet though. Four doors gives you complete access under the tank. I never knew it would be so nice to be able to get under the stand from three directions! It’s almost like having a peninsula.
Old 80-gallon reef from 2005. 2x250w MH and 4xT5 with Caulerpa 24/7 refugium. Those electric bills hurt!
Vermetid snails as far as the eyes can see!
For this tank I used bio-media and rock (in sump) from a two-year-old and a ten-month-old tank. This was my methodology.
Aquaforest Reef Salt
Caribsea Ocean Direct Live Reef Sand 40lbs
Aquaforest Bio S: 4 Drops/day for 2 weeks then only with coral feeding
Algae Barn PNS Substrate Sauce ~20mL Daily Until Empty
Algae Barn EcoPods (2)
Seachem Stability: As per instructions after adding fish
Fauna Marin Rebiotic: ¼ Dose 1/week starting week 2
Fauna Marin Bacto Balls: 4 replaced every 2 weeks
Fauna Marin Bacto Therapy: 1/Week or ¼ Dose (Explain below)
Fauna Marin Coral Balance: ¼ Dose per week as flocculant (after adding corals)
Fish Feeding: 2-3/day Frozen Mysis/Brine/Pellets soaked in Vit & Selcon
Coral Feeding: 2/Week FM Organics, FM Min S, Phyto+Zoo, Reefroids and FM Coral Dust (equates to ¼ of weekly dose).
Here’s what I did…
Day One – Added sand, water, filter socks and NO SKIMMER FOR 3 WEEKS.
Day Two – Add cube of Mysis, Replaced all mechanical media, tossed seasoned LR into the sump, two bags of seeded Seachem Matrix, jars of pods and some Ocean Magik from Algae Barn (Daily).
Day Three – Started Fauna Marin Rebiotic and PNS Substrate Sauce from Algae Barn.
Day Four – Tested water. No ammonia, no nitrites, traces of nitrates. Tossed in another cube of mysis. Tested PAR around tank. Will fine tune later. 270’ish top of rocks & 190’ish on the sand bed.
Day Five – Tested water – no changes. Added four small fish. Added Stability as per instcrutions.
Day Six – Tested water – no changes. Fish look happy. Diatoms forming on sand bed. Mild bacterial [fog] bloom (no detectable ammonia).
Day Seven – Tested water – zero across the board. Fish look happy. Begin dose Fauna Marin Bacto Therapy
Day Eight – Tossed in several smaller corals. Diatoms now all over the sand bed.
Day Nine – Watch and wait.
Day Ten – Diatoms now going away. Changing Filter socks. Now using 1x300 micron filter sock and 2 mesh socks. One mesh sock has Chemi-Pure Blue (for polishing and chemical filtration – will remove soon) and the second Fauna Marin Bacto Balls. Begin dosing Fauna Marin Coral Balance.
Day Eleven – Diatoms gone. Very light algae film on glass. Adding some snails and a couple of hermit crabs.
From day twelve through twenty it’s mainly just feeding, watching, and began adding Tropic Marin AfR (5 mL/day) and changing the single filter sock every 4-5 days. Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and Phosphates are all at zero. Want to raise Nitrate & Phosphates, but it’s a challenge. Ordered and installed an AquaMaxx skimmer from Bulk Reef Supply - pump was shot. It runs for 10 second, shuts off, then restarts. Can also hear a loud buzzing. Emailed them and they are sending out another pump. Should arrive next week. For now, I have an AquaMaxx WS-1 which is pulling out light brown wet skim.
Setting things up.
The Equipment list
Display Tank: Innovative Marine 75g INT Aquarium – Glass
Stand: White APS Aluminum
Sump: 39g 27” RFS27 (3 chamber acrylic)
Protein Skimmer: AquaMaxx DFC-120 (if it ever works)
Chemical Filtration: Chemi-Pure Blue (2-3 months then use carbon on and off)
Return Pump: Mighty Jet XL DC set ~1,600gph
Water Circulation: 2 Nero 3’s @ 65% power
Lighting: 2x XR15 Gen 6 Radion Pro’s & 1 Kessil 360W-E Tuna Blue LED
Calc/Alk/Mag/Trace: Red Sea ReefDose-2 & Tropic Marin All-for-Reef
Auto-Top off: AutoAqua Smart ATO Lite w/ 5-gallon IM glass reservoir
Heating/Cooling: Inkbird ITC-308S, 2x Amazon Fans, NO heater as of yet
System Control: CoralVue Hydros Control 4 & Power 4 Outlet
Other: Using Under Cabinet Motion Detection Lights from Amazon
Testing Par using ParWise and DIY wand (Finalize in coming weeks)
Control Cabinet.
Water Parameters
Temp: 78-80 (Balancing evaporation with humidity levels in house. Had to get a dehumidifier as humidity was reaching 63%. Got it around 53% now, but I’d like it lower.)
pH: 7.96 – 8.08 Daily (Want to increase this)
Specific gravity: 1.026
NO3: 0ppm (Want it in the 8-15 range)
Ca: 410-415 ppm.
Alk: 7.2 dkh (Moving to 8; tank is still stabilizing.)
Mg: 1350ppm
PO4: 0ppm (Want it in the 0.03 – 0.08 range)
I’ve always had trouble keeping nutrient levels above zero. I’m trying to feed the fish and corals as much as possible while watching the tank closely for signs of rising nutrients. I am kind of a clean freak though. I’m trying to leave the filter socks in the tank for longer than a few days. The little skimmer is also not pulling very much out despite having 4 fish and feeding 2-3 times a day.
Ordered fish from Dr. Reef’s Quarantined Fish a few weeks ago – The ONLY online fish vendor I’m probably going to ever order from besides ORA drop shipping! So far, the previous 2 orders were excellent save 1 fish that was obviously sickly. I give Dr. Reef 4.5 stars (will revise after the next order). Average wait time is about a month for more common fish. I have 2 tanks so not sure what is going to go where, but most, maybe all, are headed for the 75-gallon.
Coming In Next Week
Tomini Tang
Midas Blenny
Royal Gramma
Carpenter Wrasse
Lubbock’s Wrasse
Banggai Cardinal
Currently
2x Ocellaris Clowns
1x Neon Gobi
1x Springer Damsel
1x Cleaner Shrimp
Some snails and hermits
Last edited:
