25-gallon Lagoon Mixed reef Build

[Macbalacano]

Sorry to hear about the Dinos! Are you surprised that you got them even with live rock? I'm pretty surprised to be honest!

 

[DDenny]

Awesome, she sounds like a keeper!

We’ll be together for over 30 years and married for 25 so yes I will keep her around for another 25 years hahahahaha.

 

[i0nz]

Awesome build! I had an IM Lagoon 25 several years ago which I had as an NPS/gorg display. I tried numerous powerheads and eventually settled on 2x Gyres. However I was also BB. I miss that tank but I’m excited to see how yours goes

 

[DDenny]

Awesome build! I had an IM Lagoon 25 several years ago which I had as an NPS/gorg display. I tried numerous powerheads and eventually settled on 2x Gyres. However I was also BB. I miss that tank but I’m excited to see how yours goes

Gorgeous tank

 

[i0nz]

Gorgeous tank

Thank you! I’m always excited to see what direction people go with builds. Following along

 

[DDenny]

Lesson learned Standard RO filters are not standard for my unit. Should have gone with the BRS 7 stage RODI unit then the filters would have fit. Now I have an RODI unit that I cannot use cause the filters are shot. Guess I’m buying water until I can get a new unit or the filters that fit this one.

 

[DDenny]

KH 6.7
Ca 420
Mg 1410
NO3 2ppm
PO4 .095
Ph 7.9am 8.2pm

Been fighting Dino’s by research figured they are amphidium. Pulled some GHA out by hand about 3 days ago as I was reading 0 phosphates and 2ppm nitrates. Started feeding three times a day with pellets as well and now I have phosphates. Now I need to bring up nitrates and KH.
Tested KH on new water and it sits right at 8.0. I am guessing it might be the Halimeda from the live rock sucking up a little KH and Ca. Either way I need bring KH up I think.

This weekend going to vacuum out the top layer of the sand bed through a filter sock to try and remove some Dino’s from the sand and put the water back to keep the nutrients up. Have a small 3w UV green machine (I know not the best)that is probably working overtime and then some for this tank.

 

[DDenny]

I forgot but the firefish committed suicide 4 days after adding to tank. Still not sure how it got through the 1/4" mesh top but he did. Saw the cat carrying something and sure enough the dang firefish. I was surprised as it never went to the top of the tank really and the azule damsel and firefish were getting along well. Found a Bicolor Blenny thats about 1.5" long so he is in the tank. Has found him a hoime in the rocks and comes out and eats pellets and some frozen. When I walk around the tank he darts back into his cave.

 

[Daniel92481]

Sorry about your fish.

 

[DDenny]

Sorry about your fish.

It is what it is but dang the mesh is tiny but so was the fish. The cat had a good time playing keep away though. I found my Bicolor Blenny locally and he is doing good likes to hide for now still getting used to the system and has about 5 different hiding spots in the rocks.

 

[DDenny]

Without dosing I have nitrates at 10pm and phosphates at .11 have had the lights at 5% royal blue and 5% blue (AI Prime 16HD)for the Zoa’s that I have in the tank. Going to remove the third feeding from the autofeeder. The sand bed does not look as bad. I dosed 1ml MicroBacter XLM two days ago as well. Going to go ahead and gets some silicates to dose and slowly turn the light back on next Thursday and set acclimation mode at 30 days with a 20% starting point. I do have a small UV going as slow as it will go but I doubt it’s doing a lot. Peace of mind for me at least. ID as Small Cell Amphidinium confirmed with Mack’s Group as well. Going to pull a water sample tomorrow morning and take it to work to look under microscope see what’s happening.
Jan 25th

Feb. 8

 

[Jessereef]

Building the stand right now. Will have an oak or birch veneer to hide the inside stuff.

Nice

 

[DDenny]

Nice

Thanks it’s strong that is for sure had one of my students OLine football player about 350 pounds stand on it and then sit on it and bounce it held so I think I’m good hahahahaha

 

[DDenny]

Small and large cell Amphidinium Dino battle. Mostly small it looks like in microscope. Have some Sodium Silicate come to start dosing to try and eradicate these pests. But while looking through the microscope I saw something weird and neat.
Edit: it’s some type of Ciliata

 

[DDenny]

Finally got some ok pictures of the Bicolor Blenny he always shoots back to his hole when we walk around he tank but with the pellets drop out he comes.

 

[DDenny]

Headed out of town so I thought I would check NO3 and PO4 before leaving in this Dino battle
NO3 10ppm
PO4 .144
Will be back Wednesday so Thursday going to make up some new water and do a quick 2g water change just to keep PO4 down. Seems Dino’s are no longer on the sand bed but have moved to a rock from my old tank. Have sodium silicates coming by Friday or Saturday will start dosing to keep water at 2ppm silicates. When I take a water sample and look under microscope I see mostly SCA and some LCA Dino’s which with research seem to be the bad ones as far and eradication. Have the lights on for less that 7hrs a day no white,green, or red lights only blue at around 20% or so just do the Zoa’s don’t get to ticked off. Nervous about being out of town for 3.5 days anticipating what the tank will look like when I return.

 

[DDenny]

Got a new phone that will take close up pictures.
Trying to figure out what the last picture is. It came in on gulf live rock and was the size of a pencil eraser now is almost the size of a dime.

 

[Hbear8]

Following along...

Monday I should have the new tank. Innovative Marine 25g Nuvo Pro 2 Lagoon. As with most build this is for me to watch progress and keep tabs on the tank and not have rely on my memory to what the parameters were three weeks ago. Really want this to be as simple as possible.

Equipment
IM 25g Lagoon
AI 16HD (might trade up to Hydra later on or another 16HD)
Hygger Mini 1600 gph wavemaker (a little later)
15lbs live rock ( NOT THE DRY STUFF THIS TIME)

Livestock
will transfer from my 4g to this one but add more for sure.

also following!

 

[DDenny]

Here is a little better pictures

 

[DDenny]

One more picture had to turn the lights on for this one. Have seen it before in the tank but is growing extremely fast. Pretty sure it’s a red Mithrax crab