Trickman2's - 280 Gallon Upgrade

[Trickman2]

Other issues astrina starfish and vertimid snails.
Added 50 bubble bee snails today also to deal with the vertimid snails.

 

[Trickman2]

Almost forgot about my favorite new addition Zebra Moray - Aquatic Warehouse

 

[Trickman2]

 

[Trickman2]

280g Update: 2026 Vision & Hardware Refreshes
Happy New Year! I’m ready to get the 280-gallon dialed in and looking its best for 2026. I have a lot of content planned for the YouTube channel, and I’m starting the year with a clean slate and a solid game plan for the system.
The Strategy:
I’ve already replaced the Vectra L2 to keep the flow exactly where it needs to be. Next up on the list is a major cleaning phase—tackling the Asterinas, getting the pest algae cleared out, and doing a full buffing session on the acrylic to get that clarity back.
ICP & Chemistry:
My Tropic Marin ICP results are back, and I’ve already jumped into the correction phase. It’s a great feeling to have the data in hand and know exactly what needs to be adjusted to get the coral growth back into high gear. I’ll share the full breakdown of the numbers and my dosing plan in the next post.
Nyos 300 Upgrade Maybe?
As part of the 2026 refresh, I’m looking to take the filtration to the next level. I’m going to reach out to the team at Nyos about putting their new EQ Upgrade Kit on this system. I’ve been a big fan of the 300 for a long time, and I’d love to show my viewers how the new 24V controllable pump and Mobius integration handle a system of this scale.
I think the added control will be a game-changer for nutrient export while I'm getting the tank back into show-ready condition.

Current Project
- Resetting my Refugium
- Analyzing ICP results, creating a plan and implementing fixes.

Stay tuned—I’ll be posting the ICP Report and some things I have already begun doing.

 

[Trickman2]

The Results

 

[Trickman2]

Things done so far to correct my ICP results - I have taken a multi-pronged approach.

High Nitrates and Alkalinity -

• 200 Gallon water change
• Refugium Reset
• Reduced feeding

High Phosphates-

• 200 gallons of water changes.
• Reset refugium -Added Algae's and lots of Sand
  
  • Miracle Mud 10 lb 2930 Qty. 1 July 27, 2025
  • Brightwell Aquatics KoraLagoon Substrate - Aragonite-Based Refugium Substrate for Placement in Marine & Reef Aquariums, 1400g, Qty. 4 July 27, 2025 / August 30, 2025
    

Heavy Metals - High Aluminum - I suspect that the breaking down of the CerMedia by MarinePure is the cause of the High levels of Aluminum. Media was put into the sump August of 2018.

• Removed all - CerMedia MarinePure from the system (bio spheres and a block) Shop vacuum them out of the Sump and any additional degraded material (12-15-2025) All where degrading and crumbling when removed.
  
  • CerMedia MarinePure 1.5-Inch Sphere Bio-Filter Media Qty2 removed
  • CerMedia MarinePure Block Qty 1 removed
• 200 gallons of water changes.
• Dosed TRITON Detox treatment for removal of excess heavy metals.

 

[Trickman2]

-Removed Blueline Snapper due to creating anxiety in the tank.

Fun things done -

• Added a Peacock Mantis shrimp to the refugium. Purchased October 21st 2025 from www.whitlynaquatics.com
• Added more corals, Specifically More Zoa's
  • Glitterbomb Paly from Aquasd - 01-03-2026 www.aquasd.com
  • Rainbow Infusion Zoanthids - October 21st whitlynaquatics.com
  • WA Princess Peach - October 21st -whitlynaquatics.com

 

[Trickman2]

View attachment 20260108_070242_EB8C2C8A-4F87-45B8-ACC3-748408AAA561.mov

 

[Trickman2]

View attachment 20260108_070342_6AB0788B-F422-45FA-9465-E75A5C321B45.mov

 

[Trickman2]

Latest update took a bunch of pictures and decided that I needed to put Pandora back in the box.

They started off as that is August and turned into a massive colony. Calling them Pandora maybe correct. Initially I thought maybe keep them inline with some kalk.

Thought about it more and Once you open Pandora’s box it will be very hard to put them back. Removed all the rock with pandora’s on them. Threw carbon in the sump.

 

[Trickman2]

Made another decision call and nuked the princess peach zoas but honestly I think they were Palys. Another one that was getting too aggressive for my liking. I don’t want to sell my rock so that leaves me with bleaching the rock. Tough calls but question is what do I want to take up space in my tank and what is going to kill my other corals.