Innovative Marine 50 Gallon EXT Lagoon

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Found room for dosing containers for the three remaining ghl pump heads.

Dosing some trace for the macro, trying some vodka dosing as nitrates came up a little, and aminos.

The vodka works well for me because i make moonshine in a still, lol.

 

[TheWB]

When’s the big tank going to be ready? Some of those fish are looking a little large for that 50 for too much longer.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

When’s the big tank going to be ready? Some of those fish are looking a little large for that 50 for too much longer.

Should be pretty soon. We just had a newborn, so with starting my own practice and sleepless nights, we've been very busy. I've been getting my reefing fix with dialing in the 50 gallon with small changes and upgrades while i stay up with the newborn in between milk feedings.

If i thought the fish in the 50 gallon were not happy, i'd just hire someone to finish the fishroom so i could set up the 200 gallon. But they're all content, admittedly surprisingly so.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Tonights newborn watching tinkering...

I ordered a ghl ion director for the 200 gallon, maybe i should get two? There might be room in here for it?! LOL

 

[TheWB]

Tonights newborn watching tinkering...

I ordered a ghl ion director for the 200 gallon, maybe i should get two? There might be room in here for it?! LOL

Congrats on the new baby, exciting times, but very tiring. If you get one more thing for the 50 you’re going to have to create a basement for the stand

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Pretty sure i determined the culprit of high phosphates and nitrates. The refugium had some die off. I was keeping chaeto, sea lettuce, red stuff, and grape calurpa.

All grew for a while.

Now the sea lettuce has taken over. Only some calupra remain. I removed the dead macro, cranked the mp 40's, removed 80 % of the sea lettuce too, stirred the the refugium for a few miniutes several times and letter the filter roller spin basically non stop all night.

Phosphates drop almost 0.1 ppm and nitrates dropped 12 ppm

Continuing to drop...

The bio pellets and vodka probably help, but not been going long enough to see such a drop.

 

[TheWB]

Always good to get to the bottom of a problem. I tried to do a fuge with Chaeto, ulva and red ogo at different times but could never get any growth. If the sea lettuce is growing just run with that.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Three year old son's addition, lol

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Cleaned up the home office! Best in town, probably, lol.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Removed refugium macro. Sump design allows macro to get into return despite low flow and DIY screening. Ghl alarm for flow went off. 150 gph when normally 200 to 250gph.

Wet dry vacuumed the return and refugium. Flow still below normal aboy 180gph. Will have to clean pump, maybe pumping.

That's too much work long term.

So either going with no refugium or just small ball of chaeto that cannot get into return section.

Ordered new chaeto. Last try for refugium.

Since removing macro, no change in nitrates. Slight increase in phosphates, but not outside what i have tested in the last couple weeks.

If cheato dies or becomes hastle, i just roll carbon dosing/biolpellets and gfo, i think.

 

[TheWB]

Removed refugium macro. Sump design allows macro to get into return despite low flow and DIY screening. Ghl alarm for flow went off. 150 gph when normally 200 to 250gph.

Wet dry vacuumed the return and refugium. Flow still below normal aboy 180gph. Will have to clean pump, maybe pumping.

That's too much work long term.

So either going with no refugium or just small ball of chaeto that cannot get into return section.

Ordered new chaeto. Last try for refugium.

Since removing macro, no change in nitrates. Slight increase in phosphates, but not outside what i have tested in the last couple weeks.

If cheato dies or becomes hastle, i just roll carbon dosing/biolpellets and gfo, i think.

I pulled my DIY algae scrubber for similar reasons. Too much hassle for not enough return. It’s just easier to go the Nopox route with a tank this small. When I did try to do a fuge nothing ever grew either. I’d rather be natural than use additives but what are ya gonna do.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Since vacuuming out macro, ph has not gone above 8.02. Before it's high point was 8.2 to 8.38

That's one difference i notice.

Added chaeto just now. Looks like this may work. May need another pump to cause tumbling.

 

[TheWB]

Since vacuuming out macro, ph has not gone above 8.02. Before it's high point was 8.2 to 8.38

That's one difference i notice.

Added chaeto just now. Looks like this may work. May need another pump to cause tumbling.

My problems with Chaeto were most likely tied to not being able to get it to tumble in the tight space of the back chamber, that and the light being too close. You have more room so it stands to reason that you should have more success with it assuming you have enough nutrients. Might need to dose some Chaeto-grow or something.

 

[Goaway]

Three months since 20 gallon transferred to 50 gallon. Most of the fish will be headed to the 200 gallon.

MP 40's run at 5 to 20% or so during the day and 10 to 90% at night. Changed out a lot of sand with calcium reactor media and like the look and function

Added gfo reactor with the carbon, but shut it off because phosphates too low...

That is so nice. I love those fish, so pretty! Love the corals too.

Should be pretty soon. We just had a newborn, so with starting my own practice and sleepless nights, we've been very busy. I've been getting my reefing fix with dialing in the 50 gallon with small changes and upgrades while i stay up with the newborn in between milk feedings.

If i thought the fish in the 50 gallon were not happy, i'd just hire someone to finish the fishroom so i could set up the 200 gallon. But they're all content, admittedly surprisingly so.

Congratulations on baby

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

My problems with Chaeto were most likely tied to not being able to get it to tumble in the tight space of the back chamber, that and the light being too close. You have more room so it stands to reason that you should have more success with it assuming you have enough nutrients. Might need to dose some Chaeto-grow or something.

Thanks! Always dosed chaetogro. Should i reduce the amount of light in refugium?

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

The current 3 lights are only 12 watts each.... fyi

 

[TheWB]

Thanks! Always dosed chaetogro. Should i reduce the amount of light in refugium?

Hard for me to say. I have the IM 9w Chaetomax light which was pressed right up to the glass. My Chaeto never grew and never tumbled because it was in a InTank media tower and it basically just stuck to the top so some parts got pretty torched by that light. Same thing happened with the janky algae scrubber thing I DIY’d. It worked but some of the algae ended up being pink and the only reason I can think of was that it was too close to the light. My situation was totally different from yours though. You may need to play with the light placement but it’s hard to tell until you see if it grows or not.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Hard for me to say. I have the IM 9w Chaetomax light which was pressed right up to the glass. My Chaeto never grew and never tumbled because it was in a InTank media tower and it basically just stuck to the top so some parts got pretty torched by that light. Same thing happened with the janky algae scrubber thing I DIY’d. It worked but some of the algae ended up being pink and the only reason I can think of was that it was too close to the light. My situation was totally different from yours though. You may need to play with the light placement but it’s hard to tell until you see if it grows or not.

Okay!

Sounds like the safest bet may be to reduce the light, see if things grow, and then increase light incrementally to get more growth if desired?

That seems better than frying it and then trying to have it recover and grow?

 

[TheWB]

Okay!

Sounds like the safest bet may be to reduce the light, see if things grow, and then increase light incrementally to get more growth if desired?

That seems better than frying it and then trying to have it recover and grow?

Sounds like a reasonable plan. It does not tend to recover from the frying.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Sounds like a reasonable plan. It does not tend to recover from the frying.

Done. One light at the top is still on, the other two are off, and the one light has about 12 inches of space between the chaeto and the light.