Cycled 25 Lagoon Build, Preparing for the Next Steps

[abuch010]

Hi r2r!

Back in February, I decided to take the plunge and jump into the world of reefing! I got a great deal on a used IM 25 lagoon from a LFS that included a stand, mightyjet return pump, lid, 2 filter socks, fuge basket, and filter basket, and an IM ghost skimmer. (The previous owner already scraped the acrylic and left velcro on the back from running a fuge light)

I picked up a eshopps nano skimmer from FB marketplace for cheap, since I heard bad things about the IM skimmer, but as of right now I am not running either skimmer.

From there, I ordered some rock from BRS, purchased a Spectrapure RO/DI unit, sand, and picked up a Radion XR15 Gen4 w/ diffuser for 20% off from another LFS, Instant Ocean and began the cycle (Early March).

Once the cycle was complete, I added two baby ocellaris clowns back at the end of April. My LFS is very reputable, and I've seen their quarantine setups, but I stupidly added the clowns right to the display tank. They've been in there for about a month and a half now, eating great and look happy and healthy. The only concern I've had is when I would feed them Sustainable aquatics hatchery pellets, they had long white stringy poop, but days I'd feed them mysis, I never noticed this. Their poop normalized after a few weeks, and everything seems fine so far. I was thinking about dosing the display tank with some Prazipro just to eliminate any worms. Thoughts?

I've kept the lights off the entire time, per the BRS recommendation from one of their videos. I'm at about the 4 month mark, and I want to start adding some corals. The goal for this tank is to have a few fish, and some softies/LPS.

Right now I've got a filter pad soaking in the back to jumpstart a quarantine setup for any fish I may add in the future.

My main questions are as follows:
I want to stop using the filter socks. I was thinking about replacing one with some filter floss and maybe chemipure? (Is this even neccessary?) Eventually, I'd replace the other with the fuge basket and grow chaeto.
What test kits would you recommend for the other parameters?
I'll quarantine all fish I add in the future, but I think a frag QT tank is out of the scope of what I'm able to do. If I order corals from a reputable source would I be fine with dipping?
Before I turn the lights on, should I dose some beneficial bacteria, or add pods?

Basically, I want to do this right and I have patience, but I'm at a loss for what the next step I should take should be. It seems like everyone uses a different combination of filtration, and this being my first go around, I don't want to throw off any natural balances if I don't need to.

Obligatory pics:

Thanks!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

IMHO, filter floss is an even bigger pain in the neck than a filter sock. I own a bunch and change it once a week. After I accumulate about 10 to 15 dirty socks (stored in the garage in a closed box) I run them through the washing machine.

A refugium does not replace mechanical filtration. You don't need to run Chemipure unless you have an issue.

Are you doing any testing now?
Tests you'll want will be, Ca, alk, Mg, and phosphate. Eventually, as the tank matures and you get used to how it's working, you'll probably only need to test for Ca and alk on a regular basis and the others as needed.

Quarantining fish is a good idea. Hardly anybody quarantines corals. They dip them instead. I would not use any medical treatment on the tank unless you are sure there is an issue. Your clowns sound like they are fine to me. I'd consider doing a variety of foods for the fish. Nobody likes to just eat the same thing day after day forever! I feed a huge variety of foods, frozen, liquid, flakes, freeze dried, granular and even fresh caught and frozen by me!

Lights can go on anytime. Adding bacteria is helpful and may speed up the cycling process, but it's not required. For you at this point it would probably be a waste of money. Adding pods early on is a waste of money IMHO. You want to wait until at the very least, the tank is cycled. BTW, I assume you know what it is to cycle the tank and what to test for, right?

After the tank is cycled you are far from home. As the tank starts to mature it will go through what many call 'the uglies'. You will get a diatom bloom, maybe other algae blooms and possibly even a bacteria bloom. Your tank will take 6 to 12 months to become stable and mature.

One of the serious issues in this hobby is the variety of ways to deal with issues. And going down one path may work to solve an issue, but it may also mean you can't do something else you would like to do later down stream. The old saying is,"Ask 10 reefers a question and you'll get 15 different answers!"

Good luck and try to have fun.